Vagaries of Life
by malaleen
Summary: *Repost of a fic published in 2006* Sometimes, when you least expect it, life changes and becomes nothing you'd ever dreamed, but everything you ever wanted. Peter Carlisle/Rose Tyler. A Doctor Who/Blackpool/Torchwood crossover
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** This idea came to me shortly after Army of Ghosts and Doomsday aired. I happened to watch the mini-series Blackpool around the same time, and was captivated by the idea of Rose Tyler meeting Peter Carlisle in the alternate universe. Throw in a dose an AU Jack Harkness/Torchwood and a fic was born. _***This is a repost of a fic originally published in 2006***_

Rose felt as if the world as she knew it had been ripped off its axis. After being trapped in this parallel version of Earth, she had believed it would be only a matter of time before the Doctor would show up and take her back to the universe she belonged in. Jackie and Mickey had found a place in this reality, as they had essentially replaced other versions of themselves. Rose Tyler never existed on this Earth.

After about four months of waiting, the Doctor did make contact with her. Jackie and Mickey warned her not to get her hopes up, saying she had no way of knowing it really was the Doctor, but she was positive it was him. She was sure she would soon be back on the TARDIS where she belonged.

The news that it was impossible for him to return for her left her devastated. She wanted to scream that she didn't care if the two realities collapsed; she just wanted to return to her life with him. Instead she kept quiet, knowing that she'd only disappoint the Doctor by making such a demand. Trying to repress her grief, she told him of her new life, of how she would soon be joining Torchwood to continue the life she started with the Doctor. It pained her to see how proud the Doctor looked when he said, "Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth."

She knew that if this truly was the last time she would ever see him again, she needed to tell him how she felt. Even though he never said the words back to her, she knew he loved her as well, or at the very least, loved her the best way he could. She felt broken, like a shattered antique vase, able to be put back together, but never completely the same.

It took her about a week to feel like she could begin her life again. Jackie, Pete, and Mickey wisely left her alone to mourn what she had lost. In the end, it was Jackie that helped her put her life into perspective again.

"Rose, sweetheart," Jackie said, holding her tearful daughter in her arms. "When your dad died all those years ago, I felt a lot like you do now. We had our ups and downs, your dad and I, but I loved him with all my 'eart. Losing him was like losing a part of myself. If I didn't have you to look after, I don't know if I would have made it as well as I did."

"But it's different for me, mum," Rose said, wiping her eyes with a tissue. "You knew dad was dead, but the Doctor's out there in the other universe going on without me."

"Rose," Jackie said, pulling her up to look her in the eye. "Did you honestly think you would be able to travel with the Doctor forever? He didn't age like the rest of us. Sooner or later one of you would have to make the decision to leave. Or worse yet, you would have died on one of those adventures."

"But he said I could stay with him for as long as I wanted," Rose explained. "He would have let me, I know it."

"Darling," Jackie soothed, pushing a lock of Rose's hair away from her face. "I'm sure the Doctor would have allowed you to stay a lot longer with him, but he knew the reality of your situation. Rose, I know you didn't want to leave him, but at least he knows you're safe, that you have your family with you."

"But I love him, Mum!"

"And I believe he loved you, too," Jackie replied, pulling Rose into her arms. "But he wouldn't want you to be like this. He'd want you to live the best life you can, just like my Pete would have wanted for me."

"But how can I do this without him?" Rose mumbled into Jackie's shoulder, new tears running down her face.

"One day at a time, dear," Jackie said, pulling away and reaching up to wipe Rose's tear stained face. "One step at a time. Nothing more or less. One day you'll look back and remember the Doctor with fondness, not pain, because you will have made a new life for yourself."

Rose nodded weakly. "Guess I'll have too. But I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the Doctor. Right now I don't think I'll be able to love again." She sighed as she recalled another time when the Doctor said his goodbye. "You know, he once told me to do one thing for him and that was to have a fantastic life. Maybe that's what I have to figure out how to do."

* * *

The next morning, Rose went to Pete and Mickey to inquire when she could begin working at this world's version of Torchwood. Mickey and Pete looked at her in surprise, but quickly told her she could begin as soon as she wanted. The London branch of Torchwood was still in the beginning stages of planning, but her assistance and expertise would be invaluable.

Rose knew everyone was concerned about her mental state, and resolved to start living her life again. She'd just throw herself into her work until she felt ready to start up her personal life. Although she often wondered if she'd ever feel ready to explore new personal relationships.

Months later, basic operations were up and running for the London branch. Rose was adamant that this world's version of Torchwood not repeat the mistakes of the other's. She soon gained a name for herself at Torchwood, due to her unique knowledge of alien artifacts and customs. She often found herself thinking about what the Doctor might do if faced with a similar problem, and found it to be helpful in guiding her decisions at Torchwood.

However, the London branch of Torchwood was several years away from doing any sort of real alien hunting, after being basically decimated by the Cybermen several years ago. Rose longed for a job that involved field work and adventure. She was not suited for a simple desk job, working around scientists and researchers trying to identify and catalogue alien artifacts. And even though she wasn't completely fulfilled, at least she knew what she was doing was important and took great satisfaction in that fact.

One thing that helped put off her longing for adventure was her family. After the incident on the beach, Rose started to open up more to her mother and Pete. Once she accepted Pete Tyler would never be the father she lost, she was able to develop a more comfortable relationship with him.

She and her mother became closer than they'd ever been before. They would have long talks about losing people they loved and the best ways of coping with the pain. Rose also threw herself into the role of big sister as she watched her mum and Pete ready themselves for parenthood. She was the proudest sister ever when almost ten months after they arrived in this universe, she became a sister to little Elizabeth Roselyn Tyler.

Her life was starting to get back on track it seemed. She still missed the Doctor, but she found herself thinking about him less and less as the months went by. Rose thought she was just about to put her past behind her when she stumbled across a reference to the Doctor in the Torchwood archives.

* * *

Mickey was looking at the latest request sent to Pete by the Cardiff branch of Torchwood. The rift was starting to attract attention again, and they heard the London offices possibly had an expert who could help. Pete had brought the request to him to see if he felt sending Rose to Cardiff would be a good idea or not.

"So, what do you think of the idea, Mickey?" asked Jake. Mickey was eternally grateful to have found Jake in this world. His friendship had done more for him than he could ever explain. He felt as close to Jake as he did Rose.

"She's more than qualified to handle it," he said, looking pensive. "My only worry is the memories it'll bring back. I know she was in Cardiff a lot dealing with the rift with the Doctor."

"But that's what makes her so unique!" Jake exclaimed. "She has personal experience none of us have. Her talents are being wasted here in London, Mickey, and you know it."

"I know," Mickey sighed, shaking his head. "And that's what making this so hard. You think I haven't seen how bored she is here? How much she wants to get out there and do something? I'd send her there in a heartbeat if I thought it would make her happy."

"Then what's the problem?" Jake asked.

"She's been doing so well the past year or so. It's been weeks since I even heard her mention her old life. What if sending her to Cardiff messes all that up? Make her start missing the Doctor again?"

Jake gave him an understanding look. He, too, was very fond of Rose and didn't want her to get hurt anymore. Suddenly a commotion out in the hall grabbed both of their attentions.

"Mickey!" they heard Rose yell.

"What is it, Rose?" Mickey called out to her. She appeared in the doorway of his office a few seconds later.

"Mickey! Did you know there is a Doctor in this universe?" Rose asked with a look of hope shining in her eyes.

'_Oh God_, Mickey thought to himself. _I thought I had hidden those files. How the hell am I going to handle this?_' He looked over at Jake. Jake looked at him with an expression that said, '_Just do it._' "Uh, Rose…" Mickey replied, not quite looking Rose in the eye. "I-I did."

"What! Why didn't you say anything?" Rose cried, her face clearly showing her betrayal.

Mickey got up and steered her to sit down in one of the chairs in the office and took a seat in the chair next to hers. He took a deep breath and glanced over at Jake. Jake nodded as if to say, _go on_. "Rose, the Doctor in this world isn't the same man you travelled with. He never had a Rose Tyler of his own. Besides, from what we've been able to gather, he hasn't been her all that much."

"Did you check UNIT?" she asked, sounding as if she didn't want to believe what Mickey was telling her.

"Rose, everything in their files is in ours. They've only met him a few times, and it was only a few different regenerations. You said the Doctor was on his tenth body, right?"

"Yeah?" Rose replied slowly.

"You can't be sure he's the same Doctor. He could be totally different, you know," Mickey said gently, leaning forward to cover her hand with his own. "Rose, I didn't want you to get your hopes up thinking this world's Doctor would sweep in and take you away like your Doctor did. We don't know how to contact the Doctor and from what we can tell, he doesn't seem all that bothered with Earth's problems."

"But Mickey-"

"No, Rose, you need to stop this," Mickey said resolutely. "You've been doing great the past two years. I'd hate to see all your hard work go down the tubes because you're chasing after some pipe dream."

"I-you're right," Rose sighed. "It's just-"

"I understand," Mickey said gently, standing up to pull her out of her chair and into his arms. "You just wanted to have some hope. But Rose, you don't need the Doctor for that, all you need is yourself." Rose nodded as she burrowed her face into Mickey's chest.

"Hey, Rose," Jake interrupted hesitantly. "A request has come in by the Cardiff branch for one of our experts to help with some rift problems they were having. As much as we'd miss you here in London, we think you are the best person for the job. After all, you've dealt with the rift in Cardiff personally several times from what Mickey's told me."

Rose pulled away from Mickey. She moved over to the desk to glance at the folder and spent the next few minutes looking over the request.

"You know Cardiff branch does most of the field work for Torchwood," Mickey began, trying to explain why they thought it would be a good opportunity. "Both Jake and I see how bored you are sitting around in the office here in London. Even Pete's noticed you aren't as happy as you could be. This could be your chance to get back into the thick of things."

She looked up from the file and nodded at Mickey and Jake. "I'm going to miss the two of you, too," she confessed, giving them a smile that betrayed her excitement. "Send me in, boys. If Cardiff needs an expert on the rift, it's time they got one."

Mickey and Jake exchanged looks. As concerned as he was about Rose suffering a setback, Mickey could tell this was something she needed. He just hoped it would make her more content with her life in this world, not more miserable.

* * *

He was absolutely furious.

He and his team had just returned from an investigation on the Northern Coast for a suspected downed spaceship, and come back to find the office in absolute chaos. '_That's what you get when you leave the office for even a short time. The man in charge is gone and everything goes to hell,_' he thought to himself.

Something was causing the rift running under Cardiff to act up, and it was starting to attract some not-so-pleasant attention by various alien species. The office had been going mad the past few days trying to contain the latest problem, and from the looks of things, not doing a very good job of it.

"People, please tell me we have a handle on this," he said, walking towards the conference table set up in the centre of the hub. Several people looked up as the small group entered the room.

"It's getting worse, sir," one of the technicians said, pulling up a map of Cardiff showing the sites where problems were occurring.

"What's being done on our end?" asked a brogue heavy voice from his left.

"We've brought in several corporal specimens," stated a statuesque brunette, from across the table. "However, we've had several reports of the non-corporeal variety."

He sighed as he looked up at the map of Cardiff. "We're going to need some help on this, I think"

"We've already contacted the main office in London," replied the woman, handing over a dossier. "Seems the London branch as acquired an expert on paranormal phenomenon. She's willing to help with the matter."

He looked at the dossier to see a photo of an attractive blonde. "Rose Tyler," he murmured.

The man looked over at his team. "Gwen, you continue looking into how to stop all these sightings. Carlisle, you, and I are going to meet this Tyler woman and bring her up to date on what's happening."

"Why do we both need to go?" Peter Carlisle questioned, looking put out at being assigned such a menial task. "Surely Gwen could use-"

"My office, Carlisle. Five minutes. Be ready to leave to pick up Ms. Tyler," Captain Jack Harkness growled. "Let's move, people. We have a rift problem to deal with."

* * *

A few minutes later, Jack walked into his office to wait for Carlisle. Sitting down in his chair behind his desk, he wondered exactly how he ended up at Torchwood. Who would have guessed a Time Agent from the fifty-first century would end up working for a secret underground agency dealing with aliens and the paranormal?

A couple of short knocks on his door frame brought him out of his musings. He looked up to see Peter Carlisle standing in the doorway, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a tin of biscuits in the other.

"Jesus, Peter, do you always need to eat?" Jack grumbled, motioning for him to enter the office. Peter ignored the question as he took a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of Jack's desk and dropped the tin on the desk.

"Biscuit?" he offered, reaching forward to open the tin and take one out.

Jack just shook his head as he took a moment to observe the man in front of him. Peter Carlisle was one of his most brilliant investigators. He was dedicated to the job to a point where Jack wasn't sure he ever left the office. Perpetually rumpled would be one good description of Peter Carlisle. Others would be sneaky, clever, and when necessary, utterly charming. Jack was glad to have him on his team, all though, more often than not, Carlisle was a huge pain in his ass.

"So, what's with the protest about meeting this Tyler woman?" Jack asked conversationally.

"Nothing. Just thought my talents could be used for other things. Doesn't really take two people to pick up someone," Peter replied in an equally bland tone, taking a sip of coffee.

Jack sighed to himself. Peter didn't generally work well with others. He'd tried pairing him up with other investigators, but most ended up coming to him later asking to be re-assigned. The only ones who could tolerate him for any length of time were himself and Gwen. Peter liked to give off an air of casual sloppiness, which was the complete opposite of Jack. But for Peter, his act worked well, as his casual deceptiveness often tricked people into sharing things they didn't want to share. Jack might find him to be a prick at times, but even he had to admit Peter was a brilliant prick.

"Oh no, I need you with me," Jack said, leaning back in his chair and giving Peter a smile. Peter Carlisle was not the only one who knew when to turn on the charm. "See, I'm going to assign you to work with this Rose Tyler."

"What!" Peter exclaimed, dropping his calm demeanor as he slammed his coffee cup onto Jack's desk.

"You heard me," Jack continued, not rising to Peter's bait. "Someone needs to help out Ms. Tyler and you're just the man to do it."

"Why can't Gwen-"

"I need Gwen to work with me on this," Jack interjected. "Peter, you need to learn to play nice with others."

"I play nice just fine," he said. He got up and began pacing around the room, running his hands through his already messy hair.

"Sure you do, Peter," Jack replied with grin. "Which is why you're here at Torchwood instead of Kendal working as a Detective Inspector." Peter stopped his pacing to give Jack a dirty look. "Let's face it, Peter, you'd be working your way up the ranks of the North Lake Constabulary if you hadn't fucked up on that Blackpool case. You'd still be pushing papers if I hadn't recruited you to work here."

Peter had been on a short list of names Torchwood had been watching with vested interest. Bright and ambitious, he had been making quite a name for himself in law enforcement. That is until he messed up the Blackpool investigate nearly four years ago. When Jack took over as one of the heads at Torchwood, he recognized the ruthlessness in Peter's style and realized he would be an asset to the team, despite his tarnished record.

Peter threw himself back into the chair to sulk. He never liked having people bringing up the case that lead to his disgrace in law enforcement. He began tapping his fingers against his leg impatiently. Looking up at Jack he said, "Tell me again why I need to work with her?"

"Because you're available and right now, everyone here in Cardiff thinks you're a prick," Jack replied standing up from his desk. "Meet me at the entrance in 10 minutes."

Peter stood up, knowing he was dismissed. He was just about to walk of the office when Jack called out to him one last time. "Peter, do you think you could clean yourself up a bit? You look like you slept in those clothes for the past several days. We want to make a good impression on our newest expert."

"Piss off," Jack heard Peter mumble as the other man left the office. Chuckling to himself, he hoped that the paranormal expert, Rose Tyler, had some spark in her, otherwise she'd find herself run over by Peter Carlisle.

* * *

Peter Carlisle was not a happy man at the moment. Instead of working out in the field where he excelled, he was stuck with the job of minding some expert from the London branch. He hated it when the big-wigs in London decided to pay attention to Cardiff and send someone to check up on them. Most of the time, the people they sent were no better than the people they already had and frequently got in his and other people's way.

And this Rose Tyler seemed no different. Oh, he'd read over her dossier, noting she was supposedly an expert in alien and paranormal affairs. Peter just snorted. Chances were all this so-called expertise came from books, not hands on experience like he and the others of the Cardiff team had.

He stood by the entrance to Torchwood. He had to admit it was really clever to disguise the entrance to one of the most secret organizations in the United Kingdom by having a dodgy tourist shop as its front. He took a moment to purchase a bag of toffees for later on, making sure to annoy Ianto while he was at it. It wasn't long before Jack came through the doorway, motioning for him to follow him to the carport. As they approached one of the Centre's non-descript vehicles, Jack opened the driver's side and gruffly ordered him to get in.

A short drive later, they were outside the Queen Street Train Station to wait for Rose Tyler to arrive on the 3:15 train. Peter got out of the car and prepared himself for the worst. Jack slid out of the driver's side and gave him a pointed look. "I'll make contact first. I don't want to take a chance that you'll mess up and offend her like you did the last expert we had visit."

"That _expert_ was an idiot, Jack, and you know it," he replied, annoyed that Jack would bring up the incident. "You saw what happened the minute we took him out in the field. Passed out cold and then incorrectly identified the alien species. Nearly killed both Gwen and I..."

"Still, this one looks promising," Jack warned, frowning as he recalled the incident. "I'd like her to stick around and prove her worth, not get back on the train the minute she encounters your ever-so-charming attitude."

"Hey, just because I don't chase after everything warm-blooded doesn't mean I can't be charming," Peter sniffed, trying hard not to recall how being charming had lead to his downfall as a Detective Inspector. "But if you're so worried I'll make a mess of things, I'll hang back and let _you_ chat her up."

Actually, that was what he was hoping Jack would want anyway. He didn't like jumping head first when beginning an investigation, preferring to do some casual surveillance first. He fell back behind Jack at a more sedate pace and stopped to lean against a wall, waiting for Ms. Rose Tyler to arrive.

It didn't take long for the train to pull in to the station. Jack was standing on the platform, ready to greet her as she exited. Streams of passengers left the train, until an attractive blonde with a brief case stepped out onto the platform. She looked around as if she was looking for someone.

Peter watched intently as he pulled out his bag of sweets, unwrapping one and popping it into his mouth. Jack must have spotted her too, because he heard him call out, "Rose Tyler?"

"Yes?" Rose replied, as she turned around to greet the agent. Peter could see her face first turn white with shock. A few seconds later the color returned as she dropped her brief case, throwing her arms around Jack.

"Oh my God," she cried, hugging a bewildered Jack. "You're alive! I thought you died on that Game Station. The Doctor said you were rebuilding earth, but I didn't believe him. I thought he just said that to make me feel better when we never went back for you. Oh God, it's really you!"

"Ah—" Jack stammered, shock clearly written on his face as he wrapped his arms around the sobbing female.

"How did you get to this universe, Jack?" She cried, pulling away to look Jack in the eyes. "I was sure Mum, Mickey and I were the only ones brought through the void." She pulled away from his embrace to peer closer. Then a look of disappointment crossed her face. "You're not my Jack, are you?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Jack replied, obviously torn by what he just witnessed. He picked up her brief case and motioned to Peter that they were about to leave. "And as much as I'd love an explanation, I'm afraid it's going to have to wait for another time."

"Yeah," Rose nodded, still looking shaken. "Let's go."

Peter realized he needed to make his presence known. Stepping away from the wall and sticking the sweets into his trench pocket, he began walking towards Jack. He was only a few meters away when he heard Rose gasp, "Doctor?"

* * *

Rose wasn't sure how much more she could take. After accepting the assignment, she became somewhat conflicted about working in Cardiff, knowing even this world's version would be filled with reminders of the Doctor. Memories or not, she was the best person to handle this problem.

When she stepped off the train and heard her name called, for a moment she thought she'd heard a ghost. Dismissing the thought as a flight of fancy, she turned around to see someone she never thought she'd encounter again, Captain Jack Harkness.

Thrilled beyond belief, she threw herself into his arms, burying her face into chest. Jack looked just as she remembered: short, dark hair dressed in a casual jacket and olive jumper matched with a pair of khaki trousers. Automatically his arms closed around her and she just reveled in the embrace of a man she once lost.

Without thinking, she started babbling nonsense to him and when she didn't get the response she expected, she pulled away to look closer at him. Seeing the look of confusion and discomfort on his face, Rose realized her mistake. This man wasn't _her_ Jack, but the alternate world's Jack Harkness. Still, finding Jack, even though he wasn't the Jack she once knew, was a comfort of sorts.

Sensing someone approaching the two of them, Rose turned to see who this new person might be. If she thought her the bottom had fallen out of her world from seeing Jack, she nearly fainted when she saw that beloved face walking towards her.

"Doctor?" she asked faintly, taking in the familiar thin face with messy brown-not ginger-hair. Clearly she had just found this world's version of the Doctor. Not quite as dapper as her Doctor, this version wore a rumpled navy suit that looked almost too big for his lanky frame and instead of the long overcoat he favored, a dark navy trench coat was in its place.

"Are you the Doctor?" she asked again, moving closer to him. She could see the confusion written over his face. "I knew you in a different world, you, and Jack. I travelled with you for nearly two years."

He looked over at Jack, who shook his head as if to say, _'I have no idea.'_ He opened his mouth to speak, but instead of the familiar London accent she was used to, a Scottish brogue met her ears.

"I'm sorry," he said, giving her an odd look. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Who's this Doctor you speak of? My name's Peter Carlisle and I work with Jack here at Torchwood."

Rose couldn't take any more surprises. She had just seen two faces she'd thought she'd never see again, and yet neither were the men she hoped for the most. Swaying a bit, she said faintly, "I think I need to sit down."


	2. Chapter 2

If she didn't sit down soon, she thought she was going to pass out. Luckily, Jack realized just how bad off she was and quickly steered her to the nearest bench.

"Put your head down and take some deep breaths if you think you're going to faint," he said quickly, laying a hand on her back in a comforting manner. Even though she knew he wasn't the Jack she had grown to love during their travels together, the gesture meant a lot to her. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain herself. A few moments later, she opened her eyes to see Jack crouched in front of her, a concerned expression on his face. Looking above him, she could see the man who called himself Peter Carlisle watching her with an unreadable expression.

"I'm fine, or at least, I will be soon," she told them. Taking her brief case from Jack, she held it in front of her like armor, as if it would protect her from more surprises. Jack led her and Peter out to the vehicle, none of them speaking in the awkward silence.

She sat in the car staring blindly out the window. In her head, she kept chanting to herself, _you can do this, you can do this._ She just prayed that she wouldn't have to face any more surprises this afternoon.

In no time, Jack was pulling into a car park not far from the bay. When Rose saw where they were, she again closed her eyes as images of a day spent in Cardiff with Jack and her first Doctor raced through her head.

Jack looked at her and asked, "Are you okay, Rose?"

Rose sighed. "No, I don't think I am," she whispered softly to herself as she opened the car door and stepped outside. She felt someone place a hand on her arm, and she looked up to see Peter Carlisle looking at her closely.

"Ms. Tyler," he said, the Scottish accent startling her once again. "Are you going to be all right?"

Nodding weakly, she pulled away and began walking away from the car, not really knowing where she was going. A few moments later, Jack caught up to her and pulled her to a stop.

"Rose, you are most definitely not all right," he said firmly. He looked over at Peter. "We'll meet you back at the Hub in a bit. I'll try to get this sorted out." Peter nodded as he walked away with a troubled expression on his face. Jack turned back to her. "Wanna talk about it?"

"We came here together once," she began in a monotone voice. "You, me, and the Doctor. We used the healed rift scar to fuel the TARDIS. It wasn't the first time I was here with the Doctor, but that day started off so wonderfully."

Jack directed her to sit down on one of the benches lining the street. "Who is this Doctor you keep mentioning? And how exactly do you know me?"

"We traveled together," she said, avoiding answering the question.

"Lady, that's not possible," Jack said in a firm voice. "I've never seen you before this afternoon."

"Of course you haven't seen me before," Rose snapped, her patience at an end. "I don't belong in this world. Just like I suspect you don't belong in this time."

* * *

Jack felt the world bottom out. She couldn't know. "What are you talking about?"

"You're a Time Agent, right?" she asked, in a conversational tone. "Time Agent turned con man. Lost two years of your memories, correct?"

"How the hell do you know—"

"I told you, I traveled with you, or at least another world's version of you," she sighed. "I'm not from this universe, you know. A few years ago there was a leak between worlds and to make a long story short, I got stuck in this world instead of my own."

Jack sat next to her in stunned silence. The rational part of him wanted to deny that what she was saying was true, but he knew the London branch had developed some sort of interdimensional travel devices several years ago when they were tracking the last of the Cybermen. From what he heard, someone had managed to close the breach between worlds, but he had no idea people from another side were trapped outside of their own world.

"So, you're telling me there's another me in another universe? And we knew each other?" he asked, rubbing his eyes, feeling a headache coming on as he tried to make sense of what Rose was telling him. He looked over at Rose to see her nod. "Dare I ask how we met?"

"During the London Blitz in 1941. I was hanging from a barrage balloon and you teleported me back to your ship," Rose grinned.

"How—Never mind," Jack sighed. "Go on."

"You were trying to pull a con on me and the Doctor. Crashed a Chula ship where you knew a Nazi bomb would strike. Caused a bunch of people to turn into gas mask zombies, " Rose said, shaking her head at the memory.

"Gas mask zombies?" Jack said, shaking his head. "Okay, I know you can't be making that up. I was a Time Agent, and what happened in 1941 happened here, except there was no gas mask zombies, just a couple of pissed off Time Agents. They caught on to my scam and stopped it before I could get away, then dumped me in the twenty-first century. Said I couldn't do much damage here. I was picked up by Torchwood shortly after arriving and worked for them ever since."

"Voluntarily?" Rose asked, as she didn't see Jack working for an organization like this by choice.

"In a matter of speaking," He replied. "I was given the choice of working for Torchwood or being studied by them as a man from the future. I chose the least restrictive option."

"Good choice," Rose said, nodding her approval.

"So who's this Doctor you kept mentioning," Jack had to ask, his curiosity burning. "And why did you mistake Peter Carlisle for him?"

"The Doctor was an alien," Rose replied. "We traveled in his time machine all over the universe. When I left him years ago, he looked a lot like your Peter Carlisle. If it's all the same to you, I'd really rather not talk about it right now."

Jack sensed he'd touched on a very sensitive subject with Rose. "Okay then, let's get you to Torchwood. From what I can already tell, you are going to be one hell of an expert."

* * *

There was no way in hell Jack could actually expect him to wait patiently in the Hub while this mysterious woman was out there confusing him and Jack with people she once knew. Talk about picking up another crazy expert. Peter estimated she'd be on a train back to London by tomorrow morning.

He lurked near the doorway of the tourist shop, trying to observe this Rose Tyler and Jack as discretely as he could. He watched as the two of them sat down together and talked intently. Peter could tell that even from this distance, Rose Tyler was upset over something.

She'd called him Doctor. The minute she'd laid eyes on him, he saw the spark of recognition in them. He could also detect a hint of another emotion, one that he hadn't seen directed at him in nearly four years. He desperately wanted to question her, to find out why she thought she was someone else. To ask what she had meant when she had said she traveled with him.

He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Jack and Ms. Tyler approach. "Peter, I thought I told you we'd meet you back in the Hub," Jack said, annoyance showing in his voice.

"It's all right, Jack," Rose said softly, glancing over at Peter. "I'm sure he has a lot of questions, too. It's not everyday you're mistaken for someone else."

Peter had to smile at her astute observation. Maybe she wasn't as dim as he had originally feared. "That I am, Ms. Tyler," he smiled in return.

A stricken look crossed her eyes for a moment before she replied. "Call me, Rose, Mr. Carlisle. I'm not much for formalities."

"All right then, Rose," he said, reaching forward to shake her hand. He detected only a slight hesitation before she grasped it. "And you can call me Peter." He wanted to ask about her earlier actions when the first met, but caught the warning signs in Jack's eyes.

"Okay, now that we have all of our introductions out of the way, I think we better get down to the Hub. No telling what Gwen's had to deal with since we left," Jack said, turning abruptly and walking further into the small shop. "This way, Rose."

Rose looked over at Peter as if to ask, _where is he going? _ Peter just smiled at her and replied. "Can't have the entrance to one of the most secret organizations in Britain out in the open, can we?"

Rose gave him an answering smile. "Course not. Lead the way."

Peter had an insane urge to offer Rose his arm, but instead turned to follow Jack to the back of the shop. Rose silently followed. Peter stopped at the counter, gesturing to Ianto. "Rose Tyler, this is Ianto. He's our receptionist of sorts. Keeps all the rift raft and undesirables away."

"And yet for some reason, Carlisle, I can't seem to keep you out," Ianto said, not lifting his head from the magazine he was reading. He looked up to see Rose standing in front of him. "Nice to meet you Rose. Whatever you do, don't take any shite from this guy." Rose chuckled softly as Peter gave Ianto a warning glare.

"Nice to meet you too, Ianto," she replied. "And I'll make sure to keep your advice in mind."

"Ach, now," Peter interjected. "I'll have you know I'm a perfectly nice bloke." He glared at Ianto who was sharing a smile with Rose. Shaking his head at the two of them, he muttered, "See if I bring any pastries for you again." He grabbed Rose's hand, causing her to jump slightly. He looked down, trying to understand what exactly was going on with her.

"Sorry, you just surprised me," she said shakily, looking as if she'd seen a ghost.

"We'd better get going, or Jack's going to have our heads," Peter said, not taking his eyes off her and strangely enough, not dropping her hand.

"You mean, Jack'll have your head, Carlisle," Ianto snorted.

The interruption broke the moment, and Rose pulled her hand away from his. Peter continued to watch her, not understanding what it was about her that was so compelling. He hadn't felt this way since…_No, I'm not going there._

"Right then," he said, gesturing for Rose to follow. They walked to a dodgy looking door off the left of the counter. Peter took hold of the door, pulling it open. "Welcome to Torchwood Cardiff."

* * *

Rose blinked as they entered a brightly lit corridor. She remained quiet as Peter led her down the long hallway. She couldn't look at him. Her hand still tingled from where his hand was placed in hers for that all too brief moment. She'd held hands with people since leaving the Doctor over two years ago, but none had felt as right in hers as Peter Carlisle's. In no time at all, they came to a large set of double doors, which Peter quickly ushered her though. What she saw in front of her was amazing.

The room resembled a giant cavern, yet was filled with polished chrome and glass. All around her, people were bustling back and forth between offices. She felt a smile light up her face. _Finally, a place that is filled with action, _she thought as she followed Peter into the Hub.

Jack was waiting in the center of the room near a large conference table. "Took you two long enough," he called out.

"Had to introduce Rose to Ianto," Peter replied as he led Rose to the table. "Didn't want be rude."

"Is that even possible, Peter?" A voice said in a Welsh sounding accent off to Rose's left. She turned to see a dark haired woman walking towards her. "Gwen Cooper. I hope our resident prick didn't scare you off."

"What are you talking about, I was a perfect gentleman," Peter said defensively.

"He was fine. Never got much of that prickish sense, ya know?" Rose said. Rose could swear she heard Gwen mumble in low voice, "give it time." Deciding to pretend she didn't hear the comment, she held out her hand to her. "I'm Rose Tyler, from Torchwood London."

"Introduction time, everyone!" Jack called out, as a crowd of people gathered around. "Everyone, this is Rose Tyler and she's been brought in to help us with the extra Rift activity we've been facing. Rose, this is everyone."

Rose looked out at the sea of faces. She meekly waved and said, "hello."

Next to her, Peter snorted and Gwen gave a sigh of exasperation. "You'd think I was surrounded by idiots."

"Hey!" exclaimed Jack.

Gwen ignored him, taking it upon herself to introduce Rose to the rest of the core team. "Rose, you've already met Peter and Jack, so let me introduce you to a few others." She led Rose over to an Asian woman standing near a computer. "Rose, this is Toshiko Sato. She's our resident computer and tech goddess."

Toshiko looked up from the computer screen to acknowledge Rose. "Nice to meet you."

Gwen then directed Rose over to a dark haired man standing not to far from Toshiko. "This is Owen Harper. He's our medical assistance on site."

"Nice to meet you, Owen," Rose said, shaking Owen's offered hand.

"Likewise," he smiled.

Jack, noticing that Rose's immediate introductions were finished, called everyone together. "Okay folks, we now have our expert. Time to figure out why the rift is becoming such an alien hot spot."

Jack surveyed his team, eager to begin trying to unravel why the rift was causing so much trouble. Cardiff had always attracted more alien life than other parts of Great Britain, but it was never as active as it had been in the past six months.

"All right, let's go over what we know, so we can fill Rose in on all the details," he started. "We all know the rift has attracted all sorts of creatures of alien and paranormal nature. It's kept us nice and busy for the past several years, but the amount of activity that we've seen in the past few months has been off the charts. Rose, you have experience with rifts. Care to speculate what might be happening?"

Rose took a moment to think, then looked back at him. "Have you had any sort of natural disasters that would disrupt the rift in the past few months?"

"None that we know of," Gwen replied.

"Torchwood hasn't been mucking about with the rift, have they?" Rose asked.

"God, no," shuddered Jack. "I know better than to mess with things like the rift. I know that some of our scientists would love to study it more closely, but there's no way in hell I'm letting them fool around with something like that. I clearly remember what happened several years ago with that breach."

Peter seemed to pick up on her line of reasoning. "But what if it wasn't us that was, as Rose so delicately put it, "mucking about" with the rift? It's not like we haven't had a mad man developing some sort of weapon that could destroy the world as we know it."

Everyone looked uncomfortable as they remembered the Cybermen incident. Jack looked at the team intently. "People, let's hope we don't have another John Lumic on our hands."

The horror of what they could be facing again began to show on each of his team's faces. Jack just prayed that the problems with the rift were not being caused by some idiot who didn't know what he was dealing with.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Rose and Peter could be right. We need to look into the possibility of someone messing around with the rift. Peter, I want you and Rose to start looking into the possibility. Keep me up to date with anything you learn. Gwen, you and I are going to start questioning our newest guests at our facility. Maybe they know something we don't. Toshiko, I want you and Owen to start looking into any new technology patents applied for in the past few years. God knows we don't want a repeat of the Cybermen."

After dismissing his team, Jack asked Rose and Peter to stay back. "I'd like to speak with the two of you in my office, please."

Rose just nodded, but Peter gave him a put upon look. "Now"

The two of them followed him to his office. Gesturing for them to sit, he took a seat in his chair behind his desk. "Rose, Peter was already informed this, but I've decided to partner the two of you together on this case."

"What?!" Rose exclaimed, a look of surprise on her face.

Jack questioned for a moment the wisdom of putting the two of them together after learning some of Rose's past, but Peter was his best investigator next to Gwen, and no one else wanted to put up with him at the moment. "Peter is without a partner at the moment, and you're new here. You're just lucky, I guess."

"Uh sure," Rose said, bewildered at what was going on. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine." She looked at Peter with a pointed glance. Peter just gave her an innocent look.

"Peter, why don't you show Rose her new office? Help her get settled in," Jack suggested. He watched as the two of them got up to leave his office. As they were just about out the door, he called out. "Oh Peter, take your damn biscuits with you. You left them earlier today." Looking supremely annoyed, Peter turned around and took the tin from him. Jack saw Rose watching from the doorway with amusement. "Oh, and Rose? I hope you have a healthy appetite, Carlisle tends to eat as he thinks."

Peter stalked out the door, muttering under his breath, "God damned bastard." Rose just smiled as she turned to follow.

Jack just chuckled as he watched the two walk down the hall. One thing was for certain, the partnership would be very entertaining however long it lasted.

Peter led Rose down the hall of the Hub. He could sense her amazement over the entire structure.

"So all this is underneath the Millennium Center?" She asked, looking up at the different levels.

"Pretty much," he replied, stopping at a small office. "This is your office for as long as you'll be here." He indicated the small room with a desk, file cases, a chair. "I'm the office next to you, if you need me." He pointed off to his left.

Rose moved around him to look over where he was pointing. Through the glass walls, she could see a similar sized office, only this one was filled with piles of paper and file folders on every available space. She turned to look at him. "Doesn't look like there'd be room for me to fit, let alone you," she said, looking up and down his long body.

"I do just fine," he retorted.

"I'm sure you do," she replied, taking another glance at his office and raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, turning her attention back to him.

Sensing she had something to say, he pushed insistently. "No, what?"

"I was just wondering how you found anything in that office?" she admitted, giving him a small smile.

He stared at her for a minute, captivated by the amused look in her eye. She was teasing him. "I find things just fine, I'll have you know."

"Sure you do," she smiled, her tongue poking out the side of her teeth slightly.

"I do," he insisted, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Just don't touch anything. Last partner I had tried to tidy things up, and I couldn't find anything for weeks."

Rose just laughed and began walking into her office. "I'll keep that in mind." With that, she went inside and shut the door on him.

* * *

Rose spent the next hour or so looking over the file provided by Cardiff Torchwood. The office was adequately supplied, but really lacked a personal touch. But she figured she had just got here, so she had time to make it more her own At the moment, her feelings were mixed about this branch of Torchwood. On one hand, she had found Jack again. Even though he wasn't _her_ Jack, he was close enough to make her feel less alone in this universe.

On the other hand, she had apparently found the Doctor's doppelganger in Peter Carlisle. From what she could gather, there were a few physical similarities, but she could also see some differences already. The only problem was, she didn't know if she wanted to look for the differences between Peter and her Doctor, for she wasn't sure which one she'd ultimately prefer. Though now that she was assigned to be his new partner, she may not have that choice.

Hearing a knock at her door, she looked up to see Gwen standing in the doorway. "Ready to call it a night?"

"I suppose," Rose replied, setting the file down and closing it. She'd take another look tomorrow, maybe even braving a visit to her not so friendly partner's office.

"Jack asked me to show you to the flat Torchwood set up for you," Gwen said.

Rose looked up in surprise. "Flat? I assumed I'd be put up in a hotel or something."

"Nah, Torchwood owns a building full of flats near here. It's easier to have people live close by," she said, walking with Rose to the exit. "Besides, if we all live close by, calling us up at all times of day and night is much easier."

"So everyone from Torchwood lives there," Rose asked. Rose tried to wrap her mind around the idea that her co-workers would be living in the same building as her. While her head appreciated the efficiency of the move, she wasn't sure she fancied living that close to people she'd see day and day out.

"Some more than others," Gwen replied, walking past Ianto and giving a small wave.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, curious by what she meant.

"Well, some of us try to have a life outside of Torchwood," Gwen explained, leading Rose to small mini. "And others are more interested in their jobs."

"Others like who?" Rose asked, though she had a good idea who Gwen might be hinting at. It didn't take much to speculate who were the workaholics at Torchwood.

"Peter for one. Can't tell you the number of times I've come in early and found him sleeping at his desk," Gwen said, expertly navigating her car in and out of rush hour traffic. "Jack can get that way too, if he's hot on a lead. But Peter's the worst of all of us." She gave Rose a side glance. "You'll have your hands full with him."

"He seemed nice enough," Rose mused, not really sure what to make of the mixed messages she'd received all day about Peter. To her, he seemed perfectly nice. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but nice enough. Still, she was bothered by his resemblance to her Doctor, and she desperately hoped this wouldn't cause problems for her at Torchwood.

"Peter's…Peter," Gwen sighed as she parked the mini in front of a large warehouse type building. She got out and Rose followed her inside. "He's had a rough time of it over the years. Brilliant to work with, but his people skills often leave something to be desired."

Rose followed Gwen up a few flights of stair until they reached the second floor. She really wanted to ask Gwen what she meant by her comment about Peter, but wasn't sure if she had that right. After all she had just meant the woman today. Although, the more she was around Gwen, the more familiar she seemed to her. Almost as if she had met the woman before. They walked down a long corridor past several different doors. Near the end of the hall, Gwen stopped and took out a key.

"This is your flat key," she said as she opened the door. They stepped into a spacious flat with modern furnishings. "I believe your things were sent ahead?" Rose nodded taking in the almost clinical atmosphere of the flat. In the back corner of the sitting room she could see one stack of labelled boxes.

"It's very…" Rose began, not sure how to describe what she was thinking.

"Sterile?" offered Gwen.

"Yeah," Rose replied, laughing in relief. Gwen quickly joined in.

"All flats are decorated like this. Most people who stick around put their personal stamps on them. Trust me, if you walked into most people's flats, they'd look nothing like this," Gwen explained.

"Where do you live," Rose asked, curious as to where her new friend lived in the building.

"Oh, I don't live here," she said, moving towards the door.

"You don't?" Rose asked, a look of confusion crossing her face. "But I thought—"

"I said we all live close by," she smirked, opening the door to leave. "You said everyone lived in the building. I just didn't correct you." She laughed as she took in Rose's annoyed expression. "I'm a native of Cardiff and I only live a few blocks away. No point in me moving flats when my old one is perfectly fine."

Suddenly it clicked why Gwen seemed so familiar. Memories of her first visit to Cardiff with the Doctor flooded her mind, memories of a poor servant girl named Gwyneth. Rose looked closer at Gwen. The resemblance was remarkable. Gwen must have noticed Rose's reaction, because she gave her a concerned glance. "Are you all right, Rose?"

Rose shook her head. She needed to stop all this comparisons with her old life. Gwen was not some servant girl with psychic abilities. Determined to stop living in the past, Rose gave a short laugh. "I'm fine. Just been a long day, I guess."

"If you say so," Gwen replied, a look of concern still on her face. Rose smiled at her new friend as she walked with her to the flat door.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "I just need some time to take everything in."

Gwen nodded, handing her a set of keys and began down the hallway. Half way down, she turned to look back at Rose. "I'd get some sleep you know. Never know who might come calling in the middle of the night. On this job, you're pretty much on call twenty four/seven."

Rose shook her head as she went back into her new flat. Wandering over to her sofa, she sat down with a sigh. Today had been harder than she imagined. Who would have guessed she'd meet three people who so closely resembled people from her past. First Jack, then Peter, and now Gwen. Would these surprises ever end?

She got up to head to her bedroom to begin unpacking her things. Gwen was right, she need to get some sleep, if only to prepared for the surprises she might face tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Rose woke to a loud knocking sound at her door. Lifting her head to look at her alarm, she saw it was only 6:15 in the morning. _Who in the world would find it necessary to visit so early? _ Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she grabbed her dressing gown from a nearby chair and stumbled to her front door. She suddenly remembered Gwen's earlier warning when she saw Jack standing outside her door.

"Jack!" Rose said, pulling the dressing gown tighter. "Is something wrong? Has some new lead about the Rift been found?"

Jack just flashed his infectious smile and held up a white paper bag. "Nope. I brought breakfast."

Rose just stared at him dumbfounded. "Breakfast."

"Yup," he grinned, easing his way into her flat. "Bought some muffins. Hope that's all right?"

"Sure," Rose said, as she closed the door and followed Jack into the kitchen. "Jack, not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but why did you feel the need to drop by with muffins at—" Rose turned to look at a wall clock. "Nearly 6:20 in the morning. Couldn't you have waited an hour or so until I was at least dressed?"

"Not a morning person, I gather," Jack replied as he rummaged through her cupboards. "I wonder where they put the bloody coffee."

"Second cupboard to the left," Rose said, shaking her head. Jack grinned at her in triumph as he found the supplies to make coffee. Apparently this Jack wasn't much different from the Jack Harkness she once knew. She couldn't believe all the similarities between them. It was like having her Jack back again. "How is it that you knew I'd have coffee in this flat? I just moved in yesterday."

"All new residents are set up with basic supplies and groceries before they move in," he replied as he busied himself starting the electric kettle. "Torchwood tends to start people right in the thick of things, so setting up a flat with basic supplies is the least we can do. Though, not too many of us keep a lot of food around our flats anyway. We spend so much time on the go, it's hard to keep things from going off." Jack gave a small laugh as he turned back to Rose and ushered her to the small breakfast nook. "The local take away joints love us. I think the Torchwood Institute single-handedly supports most of them."

Rose gave a short laugh herself. "I think I can see what you mean. Last night I was too exhausted to shop for myself after I got home, so I just ordered delivery." Rose looked at Jack again. She had forgotten exactly how much she loved being around him. "Jack, why are you here, really?"

Jack sighed. "Saw through my clever ruse, did you?"

"Well, it might have worked better if you would have waited an hour," Rose smiled.

"I've been thinking about what you told me yesterday about the parallel world. Kept me awake a good part of the night, I'll tell you," he said.

"Tell me about it," Rose muttered, getting up to grab some mugs, plates and flatware. Setting the items on the table, she grabbed the sugar container from the counter. "Sugar, right?"

"How did you…" Jack began. "Oh, right. The other me drank his coffee with sugar, too?"

Rose nodded as she began filling both their cups. The next few moments were spent in awkward silence. Then finally, Jack spoke. "Tell me more about our life together, Rose."

Rose took a deep breath and began telling this Jack all about her adventures with him in the other world. It wasn't long before both of them were laughing heartily over the experiences the Doctor, Rose and Jack went through together on the TARDIS. Rose found herself choking up when she came to their last adventure at Satellite Five.

"Oh, Jack," she cried. "I would have said so much to you if I'd have known it was the last time I'd ever seen you again." Jack reached over and pulled her onto his lap. She began sobbing harder she buried her face into his chest. "I missed you so much."

* * *

Jack looked down at this young woman in amazement. It was obvious she had cared deeply for his other self, but the question was, how much? "Rose, what were we in the other universe? Friends, lovers?"

Rose gave a small choke of laughter against his chest. She pulled away and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dressing gown. Wordlessly, Jack handed her a napkin to help her compose herself. "Friends…yeah, you could say that," she said after a few moments.

"We were never lovers, though not for the lack of trying on your part," she grinned. "You weren't exactly subtle about it. In fact, the last time I saw you, you kissed both me and the Doctor before you ran off to be the hero."

"So you know—"

"About your flexibility, yeah," she smiled. "I was a little surprised at first, but it didn't take long to get used to it."

"So the Doctor and I never …" Jack trailed off.

"No!" Rose said vehemently. Then, she seemed to get control of her feelings, and added in a softer tone, "at least, I don't think so."

Jack watched Rose as she recalled the Doctor. It was obvious that she loved the man deeply, much more than she had cared for the other him. "You loved this Doctor very much, didn't you?"

"He became my life," she sighed. It suddenly occurred to her she was still sitting on his lap. "Oh!" she exclaimed as she moved away, embarrassment tinting her cheeks. "I keep forgetting you're not the Jack I once knew. I'm sorry if I've crossed any lines I shouldn't have."

Jack smiled as he leaned forward and took her hands in his. "Rose, I know I'm not the man you traveled with all those years ago. I wish I was, because it sounds like a fantastic adventure." Rose gave him a bemused smile. She would be such an easy person to fall in love with, he could already tell. But something deep inside told him that he wasn't the right man for her. "It's funny, because soon after I met you, I felt closer to you than I have to anyone else. Maybe it's because I can share my past with you, and you'll understand. Or maybe it's because you already knew a version of me, I don't know. I just know I want you to feel like you can come to me for anything."

"Thank you," Rose replied softly.

Jack looked at his watch. "Okay, our little breakfast chat has taken longer than I expected. I'd better let you get ready for work." Rose nodded, and moved to get up. "I think I'll go back to my flat for a bit. Since you don't have a car yet, do you want me to come back to give you a ride to the Hub?"

Rose gave him a brilliant smile. "That would be great, Jack. Give me a half hour."

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit," he said, as he made his way to her door. Rose followed him.

As he opened the door to leave, Rose spoke up. "Jack, on the way to work, would we have time to stop somewhere first?"

Jack turned around to look at her. "That shouldn't be a problem. Why?"

"I'd like to stop to get some pastries for Peter, if you don't mind," she said.

Jack narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered her request. "Pastries…for Peter?"

"Yeah," Rose said, looking up at him. "If he's going to be my partner and all, I should at least try to make nice. You even said he likes to eat while he works."

"I suppose I did," Jack replied, not sure what to make of her odd request. "If that's what you want, we'll stop at a bakery I know of near the Hub entrance." He noted the pleased expression on Rose's face. Something told him there was more to this request than just making nice with a new partner. "Well, I'll see you in a bit, Rose."

Rose smiled at him one last time, closing the door after him. Jack stood in front of her flat, thinking about what just happened. Rose was very open about her relationship with his other self, but when Jack tried to directly question her about this Doctor, she seemed to close up. And he still never got an explanation about why Rose mistakenly thought was Peter for this Doctor the first time they met. Something told him he should keep an eye on this situation.

* * *

Peter was lying face first on his desk. He could hear the bustling sounds of the Hub starting to become active as the day began to dawn. Blinking away the sleep from his eyes, he lifted his head away from his desk. Damn it, he had done it again!

Removing the glasses that hung crookedly off his nose, he scrubbed his hands across his face, trying to wake up from another night spent all night at the office. Thank god he'd learned early on to bring a change of clothes to work, otherwise he'd be forced to run home to change. He glanced down at his wrist watch to see that it was nearly 7:45. He barely recalled the last time he had checked the time the night before, but he thought it had been around 3 am. He needed to clean up and change before his new partner got to the office.

He wasn't sure why he cared whether or not she saw him like this. In fact, it wouldn't be the first time he'd walked through the Hub to the loo to change and clean up after a night spent working. Pushing away from the desk, he started to get up when he heard a timid knock on his door.

"Come in," he called out in a scratchy voice. To his surprise, it wasn't Gwen or Jack stopping by to say good morning, but Rose Tyler. He suddenly became self conscious about his disheveled appearance. "Rose…what are you doing here?"

"I—uh—I brought coffee and pastries…" she said, holding out a small bag and a tray with two disposable cups. "I—I remembered that you said you brought people pastries, and I thought I'd stop and bring some for you instead."

Peter stared at her, dumb founded. He had just met this woman yesterday and she was already bringing him breakfast? He shook his head, trying to wake himself if he was still dreaming.

"Did you stay here all night?" Rose asked, concern evident in her voice.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, defensively.

"Well, I don't know," she replied, amusement laced in her voice. "Could be the wrinkled appearance of your clothes." Peter looked down and noted that he looked like hadn't changed suits in a couple days. "Or it could be the stubble on your face." His hand automatically reached for his chin. "Or it could be your hair's sticking out a million different directions. You pick one."

"You caught me," he admitted, giving her a rueful smile. She held out the coffee and pastry bag. Taking them from her, he said, "Care to join me? I know I don't look the best, but I'll try to be on my best behavior."

Rose looked around the room with a raised eyebrow. "Will there be room for both of us to sit?"

"Shite," he muttered to himself. Putting down the items on his desk, he quickly grabbed a stack of papers off the nearest chair to make room for Rose to sit. He glanced around to find am empty spot, and finding none, he stacked them precariously on anther stack of files. "All clear," he announced, gesturing to the newly emptied spot.

"Why thank you," Rose smiled, as she sat down. She reached forward to hand him one of the cups. Taking it from her, he quickly took a grateful swallow.

He looked at her in amazement. "It's just the way I like it…"

"I—uh—" she turned a bit pink with embarrassment. "Jack brought me some breakfast early this morning," she confessed. "And it reminded me of your comment about pastries yesterday. We stopped on the way into work, and he happened to know what kind of coffee you prefer."

"Jack told you…" For some odd reason, that didn't sit right with him. Deciding to ignore the feeling, he reached into the bag for one of the pastries. "Thank you for bringing these, Rose. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," she said, taking one for herself when he offered. They ate in silence for the next few minutes, until Rose spoke again. "Did you find anything interesting involving the Rift?"

"Huh?" he asked, not sure what she meant.

"The Rift. I'm assuming you spent last night looking over files of possible companies that would have the resources to mess with the Rift," she explained, gesturing to the files littering his desktop.

"Oh, yeah…right," he said. "I found a few possibilities, but we really don't know what we're looking for." He gave a sigh as he pulled on his glasses to examine one of the files. He looked up when he heard Rose gasp. "What's wrong?"

"I—I didn't realize you wore glasses," she said shakily.

"Yeah," he replied. "Need them for reading primarily. I'm a touch near sighted." He looked at her closer. She looked like she had seen a ghost. "Rose, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she assured. She got up out of the chair. "They just reminded me of a close friend of mine used to wear glasses, that's all." She gave him a guarded look. "I should go, Peter."

"I thought you wanted to look at some files," he said, confused by the sudden change in attitude.

"I—I just remembered something I need to do," she explained as she moved to the door. "Plus, it looked like you were about to go somewhere when I dropped by. I don't want to keep you."

"No, Rose," he said, getting up and following her to the door. "It can wait."

"No…no, that's okay. I'll come by later." Rose turned, rushing out the door and down the hall. Peter stood in the doorway, watching as she hurried away. He was startled out of his musings by a voice behind him.

"Spent another night at the office, Peter?" He turned to see Owen standing in beside him. "Better get changed. You know how looking like something the cat dragged in pisses off Jack."

"Right," Peter said, turning back and heading into his office. He walked over to the wardrobe to grab his spare suit, shirt and shaving kit. As he left the office to change, he pondered the enigma that was Rose Tyler. Somehow he knew that unraveling that mystery would be more fascinating than any case Torchwood could offer.

* * *

It was nearly dark when Rose let herself back into her flat. Today had been interesting, to say the least. After the incident with Peter first thing in the morning, she was able regain her composure enough to make it through the rest of the work day.

Seeing Peter in those glasses brought back memories of the Doctor she had managed to suppress over the years. It was bad enough he had to look just like her second Doctor, but he also shared several of the same mannerisms as well. Wearing glasses was one as was the constant oral fixation. Although, unlike the Doctor, Peter didn't go around licking random things; Peter was just constantly eating. She couldn't believe all the snack foods she watched him ingest over the past nine hours.

But at the same time, she could see definite differences between the two as well. For one thing, the Doctor was always rather fastidious about his appearance. He might look a bit rumpled at times, but he always looked neat. Peter on the other hand looked like he slept in his clothes on a daily basis. Though, judging by what she saw this morning, Peter sleeping at the office wasn't out of the ordinary.

She also noticed a difference in their personalities as well. The Doctor loved to talk or babble as she used to say. And he was usually an upbeat and happy person, unlike his previous incarnation. However, Peter only said something when he needed to and many of his comments were intelligent, yet had a sarcastic edge to them. She could tell dealing with Peter would not be as simple as the Doctor, and from the comments by others at the Hub, he was not an easy person to deal with.

She sat down on her sofa, leaning back her head and closing her eyes. She was determined not to let her memories of her time with the Doctor interfere with her career. She already could tell that the Cardiff branch of Torchwood had an energy about it the London branch lacked. She could feel a rush of exhilaration she hadn't felt since leaving the Doctor. Of course, having Jack in her life again, even if it wasn't _her_ Jack, went a long way to adding to the excitement.

She never expected to meet Jack Harkness again in her life time. If she would have known there was a version of him in this world, she would have looked for him immediately. Of course, that would have been easier said than done. Torchwood was notorious for hiding the identities of their staff. You needed much higher clearance than she did to access the staff database. Which was supremely ironic in a way. You could find any information about any alien species Torchwood came into contact with, but it was next to impossible to find out who worked in what department.

As much as she wished she'd have found Jack earlier, she knew that finding out about him before now would have been a disaster. She had no doubt she would have become dependent on Jack, clinging to him because of the past he represented, even though he knew nothing of it. In the end, she would have destroyed any chance at happiness for herself and Jack by using him as a crutch, rather than seeing him for the man he was. Even now, she realized how easy it would be to fall into a relationship with him, but ultimately she knew that it wouldn't be the best thing for either of them. They were destined to be great friends, but not lovers.

Rose was startled from her musings by the insistent ringing of her mobile. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the phone and saw it was her mother calling.

"Hello, mum," Rose answered. Immediately it became clear Jackie was not happy with the lack of communication yesterday from her. "No, mum…it was a long day. I literally crashed when I got to my flat…It's very nice…posh really….No, it went well…."

Rose sighed inwardly as she listened to Jackie begin to tell about all that was happening with Pete, herself and little Lizzie. As much as Rose missed her mum, she was glad she was away from her family for a while. Over the years, the amount of concern Jackie had shown over Rose's adjustment to the world had made her feel somewhat stifled. A loud knock at her door thankfully gave her an excuse to end the conversation.

Rose got up and headed for the door of the flat. "Mum, I gotta go….No, someone's at the door….Give Lizzie a kiss for me…Love you, too. Bye." She just hung up as she opened the front door. To her surprise, Peter stood in front of her. "Peter, I didn't expect to see you again tonight."

"Yeah, well," he said, looking somewhat uneasy. He shifted his weight and ran his hand through his hair. "I wanted to see if you had settled in all right."

"Oh, yeah," Rose said, looking back at the flat. "Got some unpacking to still do, and more of my things will be arriving in a day or two, but so far everything is fine."

"Good, good," Peter said, eyes shifting to look over Rose's shoulder. "Well, I just wanted to stop to say hello. I live down the hall."

"You do?" Rose asked, surprised by the fact.

"Just a few doors down," Peter nodded, angling his head down the hall. "Number 211."

"That's good," Rose said, unsure of what to make of the news. "But I suppose you don't spend much time there."

"What?" Peter asked, perplexed.

"This morning in the office," Rose explained, nodding to the plastic dry cleaning bag slung over his shoulders. "You'd spent the night."

"Oh yeah," he said, as he began to understand her meaning. "I have a bad habit of that."

"You should take better care of yourself," Rose admonished. "Can't be comfortable sleeping slumped over a desk."

She saw Peter narrow his eyes and open his mouth to respond. Rose spoke quickly to cut off his no doubt cutting remark. "It's just if I'm to be your partner, I'd like you to be well rested and alert. It doesn't take a genius to know sleeping in your own bed is more comfortable than spending the night in the office."

"Funny, I don't recall asking for your opinion," Peter said, his manner cool. "I've worked like this for years, and have been successful so far."

Rose looked at him in disbelief. He really was something else. "Fine then. Stay all night at your office. See if I care." She moved to close the door on him.

Peter seemed to realize he had made a mistake, and moved to stop her from shutting the door. "Rose, I'm sorry. That was out of line. I haven't... I mean... well, sorry," he got out, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

Rose's expression softened as she listened to his confession. "It's all right, Peter." She gave him a smile. "I really should get to work on putting the flat in order. Thank you for stopping by."

"You're welcome, Rose," Peter responded, smiling back at her. "See you tomorrow." He moved to walk down the hall towards his own flat, then stopped suddenly and turned back towards her. "Oh, do you still need a ride to work tomorrow?"

"I do, actually," Rose said, stepping out into the hallway.

"If you'd want, we could carpool together," he suggested, his tone slightly hesitant.

"I'd like that," Rose replied, smiling brightly at him. "Good night, Peter."

"Good night, Rose."

Rose stepped back into her flat. _Well, that was unexpected_, she thought, moving to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea and a light supper. One thing she could tell already, working with Peter Carlisle would certainly be unpredictable.

* * *

The cover of darkness was perfect for the move. It had taken many years to move his base of operations from America to Great Britain, but worth it in the end when he discovered just how powerful and useful the Temporal Rift was.

It had all began with a large investment in the Lumic Corporation. He had been intrigued by the research Lumic had put into bonding the brain of a failing human body with a new, virtually indestructible metal body. However, he became nervous and pulled out of the operation before Lumic went mad and tried to destroy the world with his Army of Cybermen. Only a lunatic would take a genius idea that could have shown promise in the medical world and turn it into a bid for immortality.

He was not such a man. Sure, immortality sounded great and all, but why try to destroy a human race that was willing to pay good money to improve their way of life. Oh, the advances he had made to not only improve the world, but also pad his pocket. And it was quite by accident that his researchers and scientist had stumbled upon the rift in Wales.

He had always wondered why Great Britain attracted significantly more alien activity than other countries, and had set his best people on the problem to find out the answer. By looking through the research obtained from the failed Lumic Corporation, they were able to discover a Rift in time and space. Naturally, this Rift attracted all sorts of alien phenomena, and it didn't take long for him to realize that the Rift was the perfect place to supplement his research.

He quickly purchased a research company in Cardiff, pouring millions of dollars to set it up similar to the base of operations he had in America. In a few months, data and artifact had started to pour in, when he had discovered a slight roadblock to his operation He had a competitor for his specimens in the Torchwood institute. Oh, he knew he was supposed to know nothing about the super secret British organization, but for the man who owned the internet, Henry Van Statten, little escaped his notice when he wanted to know something.

Torchwood slowed down his research more than he cared to admit, but it was finally getting to a point where he could operate his research facility without concern of Torchwood interference. Besides, it gave him a thrill to steal alien artifacts right underneath their noses.

Suddenly a banging noise caught his attention. Looking up, he saw one of the cables had snapped on the large metal and concrete box being so carefully transported. "Be careful you fools! That is one of the prizes of my collection!"

"Sorry, sir," one of the men said, turning back to monitor the transfer.

Henry Van Statten just smiled. His crown jewel was being put into place. Now, the move was complete and he could exploit the Rift to its financial peak.


	4. Chapter 4

The next several weeks were interesting to say the least. By the end of the first weekend, she had settled into her flat, even recruiting Jack and Gwen to help her do some painting to liven up the bare white walls. A fun Sunday afternoon was spent away from the office painting random colours on different walls. The flat looked much more hodge podge than before, but it seemed much more her style. Gwen declared she liked the eclectic décor and Jack simply remarked it was different, but if Rose liked it, then he liked it. Peter said nothing at all when the next morning she showed him into her flat before work, expecting him to comment, and instead he immediately launched into a discussion about the latest alien sighting Torchwood was dealing with. Rose felt oddly disappointed in his lack of reaction.

She found she enjoyed all of the Torchwood Cardiff team. Jack was of course her one link to her past with the Doctor, and yet, it didn't take her long to realize that while he was similar to the man she knew, he wasn't the same either. He seemed less driven by the loss of his past in this world. When Rose had asked him about it one night, he explained that for now, he was satisfied with working for Torchwood. He knew someday he would continue his quest to find out about his missing years and make those responsible pay, but until an opportunity to leave this time presented itself, he was determined to make the best of things.

Gwen was the female friend she used to have in Shareen before she left with the Doctor. Of course, they had much more adult conversations than she used to with Shareen, but they still had fun going out to pubs with Jack and the rest of the team. Gwen claimed she missed having female companionship at Torchwood, because Toshiko rarely left her lab during the work day and dealing with testosterone-driven constantly men got on your nerves after a while. Several times she and Gwen would order some take away and sit in front of the telly to just relax. Occasionally, Jack would join them, and he'd amuse them with his hilarious commentary on the broadcast shows.

She didn't know Toshiko or Owen as well, but often the two of them along with the rest of the core team would get together at local pubs after finishing a case, watching football on the telly and generally getting to know one another in a more social setting. Rose enjoyed these nights tremendously, as they gave her a sense of camaraderie she had missed since leaving the TARDIS.

Peter was the one mystery of the bunch. He rarely joined them for pub gatherings, choosing to stay late at work instead. When Rose questioned Gwen about his absence, Gwen stated that Peter had always been like this since she had been at Torchwood, and that she doubted he'd be likely to change anytime soon. Rose even tried to invite him over for a simple night of telly once and a while, convinced that all the time at work couldn't be good for a person. However, each and every time she asked, Peter always replied that he had too much to do. She was slowly becoming determined to make him have a little fun. Every so often she'd force the Doctor to do the same when he got too serious, and it always did him a world of good, so she figured it wouldn't hurt Peter to do the same.

"Come on, Peter," she cajoled, giving him a pleading look. "Every time Jack or Owen bring up going down to the pub, you've come up with some excuse not to join. It's a Friday night, we've just wrapped up an alien threat, and the gang wants to have some fun."

"Rose, just because we've wrapped up the Zathora problem, doesn't mean we don't have paper work to complete," he replied, not looking up from his desk.

"Damn it, Peter!" she said, frustrated with his attitude. "You bloody well know that paper work can wait until Monday. I'd like to go tonight and I'm not leaving you to finish it up on your own."

She and Peter had fallen into a semi-routine together. Every morning, they'd share coffee and discuss the latest findings. She'd then return to her office, leaving him to his organized mess as she liked described it. At times she wanted to just file everything away so she wasn't always stepping over files, but she knew that was how he preferred it, and if it worked for him, so be it. Sometimes they were called into the field on an investigation or to contain some sort of alien threat. Those were times Rose enjoyed the most, as the thrill of the investigation reminded her of the adventures she'd had with the Doctor.

She did like working with Peter a lot, contrary to what people warned her about in the beginning. Sure, he was surly and sarcastic, but he had an intelligence and intuitive sense about him that was rarely wrong. Another thing she liked was that she found she could keep up with his intelligence and frequently match it with her own. Many times with the Doctor, she felt naïve and stupid because of his blinding intellect, but she knew Peter respected her opinions and ideas.

"Rose—" he warned, becoming annoyed by her insistence.

"No, you are coming with," and with that said, she reached over and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of his chair. She grabbed his trench coat and held it out for him to put on.

"You're going to bother me about this until I give in, aren't you?" he said, heaving a sigh and giving one last defeated look at the pile of paper work.

"Nope," she grinned, as she watched him pull his coat. "It'll be good for you to relax. Have a bit of fun. You _do_ remember what fun is?"

"Of course I remember what fun is," he growled as he stalked out of the office. Rose followed behind him, flipping off the lights and closing the door behind her. She caught up with him in the corridor near the exit.

"I'm glad you decided to come," she said, glancing up at him. "All work and no play makes Peter a very dull boy."

* * *

The evening was hopping at the Crown and Anchor. Jack looked around, seeing that the usual Friday night crew was present, minus one Rose Tyler. He had stopped by her office after returning from the field earlier to share the plans for the evening. She eagerly agreed to join in the festivities, but wanted to try to talk Peter into joining first.

Jack didn't understand her need to get Peter to socialize more. Jack had known the man for nearly two years now, and he as a workaholic if he ever saw one. Of course, Rose would just laugh and say it takes one to know one. He could see her getting frustrated over Peter's remoteness, and hoped it wouldn't interfere with their working relationship.

He was surprised at how well the two of them complimented each other. Rose was cheery while Peter was irritable. Rose could talk non-stop, while Peter would comment when he felt it necessary. They both were extremely intelligent and quick thinking, and for whatever reason, Rose seemed to put up with Peter's crap the way no one else could. Jack had asked her once how she put up with his attitude and she just replied, "oh, I got used to that kind of thing dealing with the Doctor."

Jack still didn't know all the details about Rose's Doctor, but he was slowly drawing them out, piece by piece. In a way, he felt like Rose's therapist, letting her talk through her relationship at her own pace. He was pleased that he seemed to be the only person Rose truly opened up to about her past. Even Gwen, whom Rose had made fast friends with, knew little about how Rose gained all her knowledge about alien life.

"Well, well, well," Gwen's voice said beside him. He turned to her, wondering what was going on. She tilted her head towards the door of the pub and continued, "look what the cat managed to drag in."

Jack looked towards the door and saw Rose enter the pub with Peter holding the door open behind her. She made a beeline towards their table, Peter trailing behind her.

"Jack, Gwen!" she said, pulling out a chair for herself. "I managed to get this old lump out of the office finally." She angled her head towards Peter.

"Wonders never cease," Gwen muttered, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Nice to see you join us, Peter."

"Likewise," he replied, not really paying any attention to her. He turned to Rose, "What would you like?"

"Oh, I don't care," she said, giving him a smile. "Surprise me." He nodded and moved towards the bar.

"Rose, how'd you manage to get him to come tonight," Gwen asked, leaning over Jack to get closer.

"I just asked nicely, Gwen," Rose replied. She must have noticed the expressions of disbelief on both their faces. "All right, I begged and pleaded with him. Doesn't matter how I got him here, though. He's here now."

A few minutes later, Peter returned with two beers for him and Rose. He sat them down on the table, then took off his coat and settled in. Rose took an appreciative sip of her glass. "It's good, Peter, thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied, taking a drink himself.

Rose turned to Gwen and asked, "So Gwen, is Rhys joining us tonight?"

Gwen nodded back. "He should be here soon. I think he's bringing a friend along with him."

Jack looked at Gwen in surprise. Gwen was very happy with her boyfriend Rhys, and Jack liked the man a lot. "Why's Rhys bringing a friend?" he asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Oh, I mentioned that Rose hadn't had a chance to date anyone since coming to Cardiff," she replied, giving Rose a wicked grin. "And as Rhys likes Rose, he thought his friend might be a good match up."

Rose groaned beside him and took a large drink of her beer. "Gwen…"

"Rose, just meet the guy," Gwen said, reaching across Jack to touch Rose's arm. "It's just a drink."

Rose just dropped her head into her hands. Jack looked at her in amusement, then caught sight of Peter's face. While he'd be hard pressed to describe his expression as jealous, he could certainly tell Peter was less than pleased.

A commotion by the door caught their attention and beside him, Gwen called out, "Rhys, Colin…over here."

Rhys and his friend weaved their way through tables, finally coming to stop by their table. "Gwen," Rhys said, greeting her with a kiss. He looked around the table to the others. "Jack, nice to see you again. You too, Rose." He stopped at Peter. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met."

Peter stood up and held out his hand. "Peter Carlisle. I work with Gwen."

Rhys nodded and shook his hand. "I think I've heard Gwen mention you a few times." He then gestured towards his friend. "This is Colin. Colin, this Jack and Peter," he said, pointing to each of them. "And this is Rose, the one I was telling you about."

"Nice to meet you," Rose said, taking another drink. Jack noticed it was nearly empty. He had to wonder why she was drinking so fast. Maybe it was because this was the first potential date she'd had since leaving the Doctor

Colin noticed the nearly empty glass, "Want another, Rose?"

"Why not?" Rose said, getting up and moving over by him. "I'll come with you to the bar so we can talk a bit."

Colin grinned at her, and led her away. Next to him, Peter stared after the two. "Are you just going to let her go off with him?" he growled softly, his eyes never leaving Rose.

"She's a big girl, Peter," Jack replied, surprised at his outburst. "He's a friend of Gwen's. I'm sure he's trustworthy."

The next few hours were interesting to say the least. His original plans included finding someone to flirt with and maybe take home later on, but instead, he was faced with an increasingly intoxicated Rose and a very irritable Peter. Gwen and Rhys had abandoned the table early on, not wanted to deal with Peter's attitude. Jack looked longingly at their table, wishing he could join them, but didn't want to leave Peter on his own. While he was amused at Peter's annoyance, Jack was beginning to tire of his never ending comments about the suitability of Rhys's friend.

"Don't know why she invited me," Peter muttered to himself. He eyes were set on Rose, who was sitting a couple tables away with Colin, laughing loudly at some joke he must have told.

Jack heaved a sigh. He had no idea what was going on between the two, but this was not a reaction he would have expected. "You could go over and talk to her, you know."

"What?" Peter said, looking at him. All the sudden a loud crash carried across the room. They both looked up to see Rose sitting on the floor.

"Damn it," Jack swore, getting up along with Peter to see what happened.

Colin reached down to pull Rose up to her feet. "I's think I had too much to drink," she slurred, wobbling a bit.

"I'll take you home," Colin said, a bit too eager for Jack's taste.

To his surprise, Peter stepped forward. "The hell you will. She's my partner, I'll take her home."

Jack didn't like the expression on either of the men's faces. Deciding to step in, he moved forward to gently pull Rose away from both men. "_I'll_ take Rose home." He gave Peter and Colin a look that said, _back off._ Colin very wisely left to go to sit with Gwen and Rhys.

Peter just nodded, and stalked off, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair before he left the pub. Beside him Rose looked up with confusion, "where's he goin'?"

"Home, Rose," Jack answered, wrapping one arm around her waist as he started to lead them to the door. He only paused briefly to grab both of their jackets. "That's where you're going right now."

"Okay, Jack," she said, following him sedately to his car. He helped her in, hoping she didn't get sick before they got back to her flat. Thankfully the drive back was uneventful.

He got Rose back up to her door with little problem, though she dropped her keys several times, before he sighed and took them away. "Let me, Rose," and led her into the flat.

He flipped on the lights, intending to take her to the kitchen to give her some water, when he noticed her pale color. "Rose?"

"I think I'm going to be sick," she said, weaving slightly. Jack quickly rushed her to the loo, where she promptly vomited all the contents of her stomach. He sighed, thinking to himself, _the things friends do._ He reached over to the sink and filled the glass on it with water, handing it to Rose when she wearily raised her head from the toilet. Reaching over to flush, he said, "Rinse your mouth with the water." She did as he asked, then shakily stood up.

"Jack—"

"It's okay Rose, I don't mind a bit," he soothed, reaching out to brush some hair away from her pale face. "If I go to the kitchen, can you clean up after yourself on your own?"

She nodded, and giving her one last glance, Jack left her to her own devices. He headed towards the kitchen, knowing that at least drinking some water would make Rose feel a hell of a lot better in the morning. He waited patiently for Rose to appear and a few minutes later, a subdued Rose returned to the kitchen. While not exactly sober, she certainly was less intoxicated than she was before.

"Rose, can I leave you alone?" Jack asked, looking at her intently. He didn't want to leave her if she was going to be sick again.

"I'll be fine," she said, accepting the glass of water he handed her and taking a sip. "Thank you, Jack."

"No problem," Jack smiled, getting up and leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "Just don't do this again."

"I won't," she promised, holding her head in her hand.

Jack headed to the door. "I'm leaving now, Rose. Make sure you lock up behind you." He waited until he saw Rose nod. Praying he was doing the right thing in leaving, he left Rose's flat. He heard a door slam behind him, but when he looked, he couldn't see whose flat it came from. He waited a few moments, until he heard the _snick_ of Rose's lock. Shaking his head, he headed for his flat. This had been one unusual night.

* * *

"Fuck!" Peter growled as he stalked out of the pub. Why had he allowed Rose to talk him into this? _Because you're a weak-willed bastard who can't say no to a pretty girl,_ a nasty little voice inside his head said.

"God damn it," he said, bending his head against the roof of his car. He wasn't going to do this again. Hadn't he learned this lesson in Blackpool? Last time he let his heart get in the way of his good reason, it had cost him everything.

_Natalie._ He had managed not to think about her for months, doing all that he could to suppress the painful memories thinking of her inevitably brought. Getting into the car, he began his ride home, but the memories of what happened in Blackpool came rushing back to him, no matter how much he wanted to stop them.

He had been so cocky back then, positive that Ripley Holden was guilty of killing Mike Hooley and covering up his murder. He intended at first to use Ripley's wife, Natalie, as an unwitting source of information, but as he got to know her better he started to fall under her spell. Soon, he was ass over teakettle in love with her, conducting an affair right under her husband's nose, and doing his damnedest to send Ripley Holden off to jail, no matter the consequences.

And the consequences were steep. Mike Hooley's murder was never officially solved, due to Ripley blackmailing Peter because of his affair with Natalie. Peter was forced to silence his long suffering partner, Blythe, with the threat of framing him with a false drug charge, so that he wouldn't go after Ripley's family anymore. Peter did manage to get Natalie away from Ripley, but it didn't last like he'd hoped.

All it took was a few whispers from Ripley's friends in the right ears in Kendal about his affair with the lead suspect's wife, and his career as a Detective Inspector was in the toilet. His suspect conduct on the case and lack of closure led to him being placed on permanent desk duty.

When Natalie discovered the extent of Peter's deception and the lengths he was willing to go to destroy Ripley, she wanted out of their relationship before it barely began. She claimed she had just left a man that was deceitful and dishonest, and she didn't plan to make the same mistake twice. She couldn't live with a man who went to those kinds of lengths to destroy her family.

So, he was left with a dead end job and the love of his life had just walked out on him. He would have gone mad if Jack wouldn't have walked into the station and offered him the job in Cardiff. Peter jumped at the chance to have a fresh start on his life, a new life where all aspects of it wasn't tainted by the stench of Blackpool.

He had been doing so well, not allowing himself to get too close to anyone; just focusing on the job. For the most part he loved the challenge, though he was annoyed at the constant stream of partners forced down his throat. He didn't know why Jack couldn't accept he was better off on his own. Or at least that's what he thought until he met Rose Tyler.

"Damn it," he swore, throwing his trench coat onto the floor of his entryway. Why in the hell was this bothering him so damn much? Why should he care what Rose Tyler did on her free time?

He heard a commotion in the hall, and before he could stop himself, he was opening the door to peak out. In the hallway stood Jack and Rose, trying to open her door. Finally, Jack took her keys from her and led her into her flat. Peter just stood there, staring at the door in disbelief.

Closing the door, he walked over to his sofa, sitting down without turning on any lights. He was positive there was nothing going on between Jack and Rose. He knew this because he had been suspicious of their relationship from the first time they met. No stranger greeted someone like Rose did Jack at the train station. So he had watched and observed, looking for any signs of impropriety. He thought nothing was happening between them, but maybe he had read the relationship wrong. Or maybe Jack was going to take advantage of Rose while she was intoxicated. Jack's reputation as a playboy was famous at Torchwood. Would it be so hard to imagine Jack taking Rose up on an offer of sex while she was drunk?

Peter heard a door opening, and he rushed over, quietly opening his own to watch what was happening. He could make out Rose in front of Jack as he said his goodbyes. Sensing Jack was about to turn, Peter quickly shut his door, closing it harder than he intended.

He went back over to the sofa, oddly thankful that Jack left when he did. There was no way Jack could have done anything with Rose in that short amount of time. But was Rose all right? She hadn't looked very good when she left the pub earlier, and maybe she shouldn't be alone right now. Should he go check on her?

He spent the next 15 minutes debating whether or not to check on Rose. He got up and headed for his door, opening it slowly. _I'm just checking to see if my partner's okay,_ he told himself as he made his way down the hall to Rose's door. He knocked softly, just in case she was asleep. He was just about to leave when he heard Rose fumbling with the locks on the door.

The door opened to reveal Rose in a hot pink cotton chemise gown that ended somewhere mid thigh. "Oh, it's you!" Rose exclaimed, surprise written on her face.

Peter swallowed as he took in the sight of Rose's messed up hair and barely covered body. "I—uh—I just wanted to check to see if you were okay," he stammered, turning his head and trying desperately to look anywhere but at Rose.

"Oh, how sweet," Rose said, walking forward to turn Peter's face towards her. "You're a very nice partner, Peter. You even look like my Doctor, but you're not…" she got a far way look in her eyes for a moment, the looked up at him with determination. "I never got to kiss him, you know? I don't want to lose that chance with you, too."

Reaching up on her tip toes, she placed her lips on his. Surprised, his arms automatically went around her back, as he gave into her kiss. Her lips parted and he could feel her tongue tracing his bottom lip, begging for entrance. Opening his mouth to hers, he stroked his tongue against hers, pulling her closer to his body so she molded against him perfectly. Her hands when to his hair, pushing into it as she tried to pull herself even closer.

He broke his lips from hers, trailing his mouth along her cheek to her ear, sucking one of the lobes into his mouth and pulling gently. He began walking them into her flat, intending to explore this new avenue of their relationship when he felt her go slack in his arms. Pulling his mouth away from her throat, he saw Rose had passed out in his arms.

Laughing weakly at the irony of what just happened; he bent down to pick her up, and then began carrying her towards her bedroom. He walked into the dark room, noticing the bed with its thrown back covers. Laying her down gently, he smoothed back her hair, kissing her once softly on the forehead, then another on her slightly opened mouth. She shifted against him, murmuring something he couldn't make out.

He reached for the covers, pulling them up over Rose's form. She immediately turned onto her side, curling her fists under her chin. He stood over her, watching her sleep for a few minutes, then walked out of her bedroom.

Peter drew a deep breath. He had done it again. He had allowed romance to interfere with his work once again. He turned around to glance back at Rose one last time. Should he pursue Rose? Would she welcome that kind of relationship with him? Maybe he'd test the waters a bit from now on. Flirt a bit more with her to see how she'd respond.

Smiling to himself, he let himself out of Rose's flat, making sure to lock it before he left. As he walked back to his own flat, he thought to himself, _Rose Tyler, I hope you know what you've just got yourself into._


	5. Chapter 5

Peter had to admit he was quite happy with the way project Rose was progressing. After their kiss several weeks ago, he came up with a simple plan to gauge Rose's interest. He would start by upping the innocent touches and invading more of her personal space. He knew that his oral fixation fascinated Rose, as he had caught her staring at him as he ate things often enough, so it was time to break out the more erotic foods. He also began subtly flirting with her, throwing out more casual innuendos during conversations, just to gauge her reaction.

He had to say, it was more successful than he originally hoped. At first, Rose was startled and surprised the first time he stood closer than he really needed to, but it didn't take her long to become comfortable to his presence. She blushed at first to his more racy comments, but it didn't take her long to begin teasing him back in her own cheeky way. It was the oral fixation exploitation that surprised him the most, though.

They were taking their afternoon break and had decided to enjoy the summer sunshine by taking a walk by the bay. As they left the Hub, Peter suggested they stop at a local ice cream stand to purchase some cones. Rose quickly agreed, and soon both of them were enjoying the cold treats. They walked towards the bay, taking a seat on a bench near the water front. Peter made sure to slowly lick away at the cone, taking his time to eat it. Every so often, he'd glance out of the corner of his eye to see if Rose was watching him. Sure enough, it didn't take long for her to abandon her own treat to watch him instead.

Peter pulled the cone away from his mouth and took the chocolate flake bar out of the ice cream to pop it into his mouth. Chewing the sweet thoroughly, he looked over at Rose. She was just sitting there, holding the cone in her hand, ice cream dribbling down her fingers. Peter had an insane urge to take her hand so he could lick her fingers clean. However, even he knew that would be pushing things a little fast. He looked down at Rose's cone instead. "Rose, aren't you going to eat your ice cream?"

"Uh—" Rose looked down at her hand. "I—uh—no, I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought."

"Could I have your flake chocolate then?" he asked, eying up the chocolate. Even though he wanted to exploit Rose's interest in his oral fixation, sweets were sweets.

"Uh, sure," Rose replied, holding the cone up to him. He carefully reached out to pull the chocolate out of the ice cream and placed the sweet treat into his mouth slowly so he could savour the chocolate slowly. He heard Rose cough beside him. Turning to look at her, he noticed her looking rather red in the cheeks. _Success_, he thought, smiling to himself.

"Rose, if you're not going to eat that," he said, nodding to the rapidly melting cone. "I suggest you get rid of it soon. Damn waste of ice cream though." He turned back to face the bay, going back to licking his ice cream. A few moments later, Rose got up to throw away the cone, then returned to sit beside him again. Peter risked another glance at her, and saw she was licking her fingers clean.

She smiled up at him and gave him an innocent look. "Sorry, my fingers were sticky," and placed one of her fingers in her mouth. Peter had to stifle his own groan as he began to feel his body tightening in arousal.

"We'd better get back," he said, getting up in a hurry. Tossing away his remaining ice cream, he began walking back to the Hub, desperately trying to calm down his body. The witch had turned the tables on him. And damned if he didn't like it.

And so the games went on. Peter would flirt and before long, Rose would respond in kind back. He was so confident in how the relationship was progressing; he decided it was time to move to the next step: a casual date-like setting.

Knocking on Rose's office door, he looked in to see her sitting hunched over several file folders. As it was nearing the end of the day, he thought his suggestion may get a positive response from Rose.

Rose looked up and smiled at him. He walked in and took a seat in one of the chairs by her desk.

"Need anything, Peter?" she asked.

"Well, I was thinking of heading out for the evening," Peter began, noting the look of surprise on Rose's face. "And I was thinking of ordering some pizza from the local pizzeria. I was wondering if you'd like to join me?" He saw Rose's eyebrows go up.

"Are you asking me on a date, Peter?" Rose asked.

Peter wasn't sure how best to respond. He supposed honesty was the best policy considering the situation. "If you want it to be, yeah."

Rose gave him a piercing look for a moment, and then smiled. "All right, I think I'd like that."

"Okay," Peter breathed, feeling relief spread through him.

"Give me a few minutes to finish up here, and I'll meet you at your office," she said.

He nodded and headed back to his office to wait for her. He was surprised she had taken his invitation as a date, not that he minded. Not at all. He was just hoping to spend some time with her, without the background of work surrounding them.

He looked up when he heard Rose clear her throat. She was standing by the door, waiting for him. He grabbed his trench coat and followed her out the door. He managed to maintain a casual conversation as they left Torchwood and headed out to his car.

In no time at all, they were back at the flats. Walking down the hallway, Rose put a hand on Peter's arm to stop him. She looked up with a hesitant glance. "Do you mind if I change quick before I come over?" she asked. "I'd like to get out of these work clothes."

He cleared his throat as the thoughts of Rose taking off her clothes danced through his mind. "Uh, sure. I don't mind." He looked at his own suit and grinned. "Probably change myself."

"All right then," she smiled. "See you in a few minutes, yeah?"

Peter nodded as he watched Rose enter her flat. Whistling to himself, he continued his journey to his own flat. As he entered, he flipped on the lights by the door. A quick glance around the flat told him he had nothing inappropriate out in the open. While it wasn't the best kept flat in the building, but it was hardly filthy. He placed his brief case on the floor by the door, and hung up his trench. He began to pull off his tie as he made the short trek into his bedroom.

Thankfully, this was not bad either. Not that he anticipated Rose would be interested in having sex, but he felt a man should always be prepared for anything. He slung his tie over a chair in the corner, throwing his jacket on the bed. He walked over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and a plain grey tee shirt. He quickly unbuttoned his white oxford and threw it into his hamper by the door, then took off his trousers, hanging them up along with the jacket. He made a mental note to himself that he really needed to take care of his dry cleaning soon.

He quickly redressed, as was just contemplating shaving again when he heard a knock at his front door. Walking to the door in bare feet, he opened it to see Rose standing before him. Like him, she had changed into jeans, but these left little to the imagination as they were low cut and very form fitting. She had also changed into a black thin strapped vest shirt. Bright pink flip flops adorned her feet, allowing him to see her hot pink painted toe nails.

"Going to invite me in," Rose smirked, her tongue poking out the side of her teeth. Peter wanted to kiss that smirk right off her face. "Or are you going to stare at me all night?"

He moved away from the door, gesturing her inside. She walked past him and looked around the flat. "I see your organization habits are the same here as they are at the office."

"You'll find I have places to sit here," he answered with mock seriousness.

"I see," Rose replied, nodding. "Very impressive."

Peter shut the door and led Rose into his sitting room. "I haven't called the delivery place yet. Wanted to see what you wanted to order before I did anything."

"I'm pretty much game for anything, really," Rose said.

"Anchovies then?" Peter teased, giving her a sly look as Rose made a face at him.

"Ugh, not that game," she said.

"A meat fest pizza okay with you?" he asked, being serious this time.

"Yeah," she smiled, watching him walk over to his telephone to place the order.

"It'll be about a half hour," he said, returning to her side. "Would you like something to drink? Coke, beer?"

"Whatever you're having is fine," she replied as she went over to examine his book shelf.

"You're an easy woman to please, Rose Tyler," Peter said as he went into his kitchen to grab two beers from the refrigerator. Thank goodness he had stopped by the local Tesco to pick up some essentials the other day. Otherwise his pantry would be rather bare.

He walked back in to see her looking over his book collection. He handed her one of the bottles.

"Quite impressive," she commented, running her fingers over a few of the titles.

"When I get free time," he laughed as he saw her look of disbelief. "I know, I know, I'm a self admitted workaholic. But occasionally I like to relax some, too. I find it a good time to read a book of some sort when I can."

"So, no football for you?" Rose asked, curious, turning around to look at him. Peter took her arm and guided her to his sofa.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," he admitted as he and Rose sat down together.

"Ah, you are a normal male," she said. "I was starting to wonder."

Peter didn't know whether to be offended or amused by her statement. Deciding to change the subject, he reached forward to grab the telly remote sitting on the table in front of the sofa. "Want to watch some telly?"

"Sure," Rose said, settling down next to him on the sofa as he flipped through the channels. Happening upon a football match, he cried triumphantly, "Aha!"

"Men," Rose muttered good naturedly, but settled in with little protest as they watched the match together.

Peter enjoyed the feeling of Rose sitting so close next to him. He was about to put his arm around her to pull her closer when there was a knock on his door. "Must be the pizza," he said, getting up to answer the door.

A few minutes later he brought back the pizza box, setting it on the table. He reached over and opened the box, the appetizing aroma of fresh pizza drifting out.

"Mmmm," Rose said, sitting up. "I'm famished." Peter gingerly grabbed a slice and handed it too her, then took one for himself.

"Hope you don't mind eating in front of the telly," he said, sitting back down next to Rose.

"Mmm," Rose tried to speak around a mouth full of pizza. Chewing quickly and swallowing, she replied, "not at all."

They at the pizza as they watched the rest of the match, occasionally commenting on the plays. Soon, Rose was leaning up against his side, his arm slung along her shoulder. He enjoyed the feel of her next to him, and didn't want it to end. When the match ended, a repeat of an action film popular a few years before was advertised as airing next.

"Is this okay with you?" he asked, looking down at her. Rose nodded, her eyes blinking as if having a hard time staying awake. Peter knew he should probably send her back to her own flat, but couldn't bring himself to allow her to leave yet. As the movie began, Rose leaned more onto Peter, her body turning instinctively into his. Her legs went up onto the sofa, and before long, Peter saw that Rose had fallen asleep in his arms.

He took a moment to study Rose's features. Angular face, wide mouth, pert nose…she was completely adorable in his mind. He had missed this kind of thing with a woman. He had always wondered what moments like this would have been like with Natalie, but their time together had been so short. They had barely lived together before she had walked out, vowing never to contact him again.

He looked down at Rose, and wondered if he was truly ready to risk his heart again. Last time he had handed his heart to another, it had been returned to him shattered. Was he ready to risk it all again? Deciding he could think on this later, he slouched down to get more comfortable, pulling Rose closer to him. Closing his eyes, he succumbed to sleep himself.

* * *

_Rose was back inside the TARDIS. She could hear the constant hum of the engines and could sense the excitement coming over her as she anticipated another adventure with the Doctor. She looked over at the console and saw the Doctor standing next to it._

_He was dressed in his pin striped suit as always, though his long brown trench coat was slung over one of the rails near the entrance. She watched in fascination as he flipped random levers, pressed buttons, and spun dials with abandon. She smiled as she got up from the bench and ventured over to stand close to him._

_He turned slightly to look down at her. "Where do you fancy going next, Rose?" he smiled down at her, the thrill of adventure shining in his bright brown eyes. Familiar eyes._

_She gave him a wide smile. "Surprise me," she said. "But can we try to find a place that won't cause us to run for our lives within five minutes of leaving the TARDIS?"_

_The Doctor smiled down at her and wrapped one of his arms around her waist. "But that's the fun part, Rose!" he protested lightly, pulling her closer to him. "Never knowing what to expect…danger, intrigue…or a complete paradise."_

"_We've never been to a place or time that was a complete paradise," Rose said, looking up at him. "If everything seems fine, you manage to find a way to stir up trouble."_

"_Well, wouldn't want things to be boring, now would we?" he replied, pulling her into a close hug._

"_I loved being with you, Doctor," Rose said, as she burrowed her face into his lean chest, hearing the beat of his heart. She could feel the soft material against her cheek and the warmth of his body spread all over her. She could feel him against her, his hands sliding under her shirt to stroke her bare skin. His lips pressed against her throat, and she softly moaned in appreciation._

"Rose," she heard someone moan, but it wasn't the London accent she expected. The fog in her mind began to clear as lips trekked across her cheek before settling on her mouth. "God, Rose," she heard again, the Scottish brogue finally registering in her mind. _Peter_.

Rose's eyes fluttered open to see Peter's face just millimetres away from hers. She was lying on top of him and she could feel his erection pressing into her. Instinctively she pressed down against him before she could stop herself. She heard Peter groan again, and he pulled her down to meet his lips again.

Her hands slid up his chest to tangle in his hair, feeling the soft strands slip through her fingers as she pressed herself closer to his warm body beneath her. His tongue slid against hers in a sensual rhythm then moved away to begin kissing down her throat. She threw back her head as the pleasure of it all began to overwhelm her. She hadn't felt like this is so long.

Suddenly something started to click in her mind. She needed to stop this, even though her body was aching for more. "Peter," she murmured against his ear. "Peter, stop."

Peter's body stilled beneath hers. She pulled away slightly to look down into his hooded eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked, sliding a hand up to stroke back a lock of hair from her face.

"I—" she began, then moved to sit up away from him. "I can't do this. Not yet."

Peter sat up next to her, making sure there was some distance between the two of them. "I thought—"

Rose turned to him and saw the slightly hurt and confused look on his face. Ignoring the small voice in her head that said it would be a very bad idea, she moved closer and pulled him in for another kiss. She broke away and looked into his eyes. "Before we go any farther, I need to explain a few things first."

Peter looked at her in confusion. She knew he didn't understand what was going on, and she desperately wished she could ignore common sense and just snog the living daylights out of him, but she couldn't. The fading memory of her dream made her realize that she couldn't lead Peter on when he didn't know the complete truth about who she was.

Rose sat back, needing some space if she was going to tell Peter about her past. "Peter, have you ever wondered where all my knowledge of alien life came from?"

She saw a look of bewilderment cross his face. "I assumed you'd studied like most people who are recruited by Torchwood."

"No, not exactly," Rose said, picking a piece of invisible lint off her jeans. Taking a deep breath, she began her story, telling Peter of meeting a man called the Doctor all those years ago, about how she was shown a better life, way beyond the expectations a mere shop girl could expect. She spoke of the impact he had on her life and how it made her a better person for it. She had to stop for a moment when she got to the part with her world's Torchwood, then haltingly explained how she ended up in this universe.

"So you're saying you don't belong in this world? That parallel universes exist?" he asked. It was clear to Rose that Peter was having a hard time processing what she just told him.

Rose nodded solemnly. "Peter, I couldn't in good consciousness start any type of relationship with you when you didn't know about where I came from."

Peter suddenly looked up with a piercing glance. "Does Jack know about all this? Did you tell him?"

Rose shifted uncomfortably. She should have known Peter would bring Jack into the conversation. "Yes, I did," she admitted, cringing inwardly as she saw the betrayed expression on Peter's face. "But not for the reason you think, Peter. I knew Jack in my other world…or at least I knew another version of him."

"What?" he asked, trying to comprehend what she was saying.

"Jack was someone the Doctor and I travelled with for several months. He died in my world on a space station thousands of years in the future. When I saw this world's Jack again, it was like a bit of my past with the Doctor had returned to me," she tried to explain.

She could see a look of understanding dawn on Peter's face. "So that's why you acted the way you did when the two of you met?"

"Yes," Rose said gratefully, happy that Peter seemed to be accepting what she was telling him.

"Which leads me to my next question…why did you call me "Doctor" when you first saw me?" he asked, his eyes boring into her.

_Damn it_ she thought. She should have known Peter would have picked up on that. He was far too intelligent to forget a detail like that, but how could she explain he could be the Doctor's double? She'd tried being vague with her feelings for the Doctor with Peter, not really sure if this was the time to bring them up, but how would he react to learning he looked exactly like someone she had loved in another world?

She decided her best option was to be share an edited version of the truth. "You resemble him, in a way," she hedged, hoping he would accept her explanation. "From a distance you looked like him," which was true, "and after seeing Jack, I guess my mind immediately connected your resemblance to the Doctor."

She bit her lower lip, praying Peter would find the excuse good enough. He looked at her for a long while, and then nodded swiftly. She sighed with relief.

"So, what does this mean for us?" Peter asked suddenly, cutting to the chase. "What do you want from me?"

Rose took a deep breath. "I want to see where this takes us, Peter. It's been a while since I've been involved with anyone. I needed time to adapt to my new world and then Torchwood became my life. I wasn't even interested in anyone in that way until I met you." She gave him a hopeful look.

Peter studied her face, as searching to see if she was earnest with her declaration. He must have found it satisfying, because he leaned forward to capture her lips in a fierce kiss. He forcefully parted her lips with his own, plunging into her mouth, as if to claim her for himself.

Rose reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. She wanted to prove to him that he, not her past, was her choice. After a few long moments he broke away, panting to regain his breath and leaned his forehead against hers. "Rose, how far do you want to take this?"

Rose looked into his eyes, seeing the desire for her blazing in them. It would be easy to ask him to take her to bed, to make love to her, but she knew she still needed time, they _both_ need time. But she didn't want to leave him just yet. She enjoyed sleeping in his arms for that little while and wanted to experience it again.

"Can I—" she began, not sure if he would understand what she wanted. "Can I stay here you tonight?" She saw his eyes widen with surprise and he leaned forward to kiss her again. She quickly put a hand on his chest to still his actions. "I'm not sure I'm ready to take that step yet, Peter, but I want to stay with you." She looked into his eyes, pleading with him to understand what she was asking. "Can I just stay here and sleep?"

Peter looked at her for a long while, and then stood up suddenly. He held out his hand for Rose to grasp. She took it and he led her out of the sitting room and down to his bedroom. He sat down on his bed, pulling her down with him. She gave him a grateful smile as he leaned back to lie down, drawing her into his arms. She snuggled into his arms and laid her head on his shoulders, feeling his heart beating against her ears.

She looked up at him, and nearly wept at the emotion she could see in it. In his eyes, she could see desire, tenderness, understanding and something that just might be love. Placing her hand against his cheek, she reached up to kiss him softly. She tried to pour all she was feeling at the moment into her kiss, conveying how she felt much the same.

She pulled away and murmured, "thank you," before lying back down in his arms. She could feel his hand stoke her hair as she began to drift off to sleep, feeling protected in a way she hadn't felt in over two years.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter had to admit, this wasn't the easiest night he had ever spent with a woman. Holding Rose in his arms as she slept was heaven to him, and yet the deepest torture at the same time. As the night wore on, she shifted closer to him, if it was possible, laying nearly on top of him once again. He stayed in that position as long as he could manage, before he needed to move in order to feel his limbs properly again. Shifting Rose as gently as he could, he rolled her to her side, then spooned his body behind her.

His arousal at having Rose in his arms was fierce, but he couldn't push her into something she wasn't ready for. As he tried to relax, his mind kept coming back to the story Rose told him of her past. It was unbelievable, yet it explained almost everything about her. But the thought of her travelling around the time and space in a different universe was hard to comprehend, though he didn't know why. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen stranger things in his tenure at Torchwood.

He was touched that Rose wanted to share her past with him before they became too involved, but a feeling of guilt trickled down his spine. She knew nothing of what happened in Blackpool. He hadn't planned on telling Rose about his past this soon, but after she shared her past with him, he felt he needed to do the same, and soon.

He fell into an uneasy sleep. The next thing he knew, he was blinking the light away of early morning. Rose was still curled up in his arms, with her back pressed against his chest. His erection ached as it lay nestled in the curve of her bottom. Doing his best to ignore his need, he nuzzled his lips into her soft hair at the back of her neck, placing a soft kiss where her neck and shoulder met. He could feel Rose shift against him and heard her groan in contentment.

"Wake up," he murmured in her ear, kissing it gently. She stretched in his arms, before turning over to face him. Her eyes blinked open drowsily, and he watched her smile slowly as her mind came to the present.

"Good morning," she whispered, reaching a hand up to cup the side of his face. Unable to resist, he leaned in to kiss her delectable mouth. Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer to her body and they each fought to dominate the kiss. He rolled them over, so that he lay on top of her, his erection lining up with the cradle of her thighs. He couldn't stop himself from pressing into her softness.

"Mmmm," Rose sighed, as Peter pulled his mouth away to continue exploring her throat with his mouth. "This is nice."

"That it is," he said, as his lips grazed the tops of her breasts not covered by her vest.

She pulled him away with a laugh, "down boy."

Peter could only weakly chuckle as he rolled away from her body, placing some space between them. Throwing his arm over his eyes, he desperately tried to control his body. Rose just laughed as she watched him struggling with his control.

He turned over suddenly to look at her. "Think it funny, do you?" he growled, "laugh at my pain?"

"I find it's sort of funny, yeah," Rose giggled, then sighed as she gazed into his eyes. "Thank you for not pushing me, Peter."

"I'd say no problem," he mused, taking a quick look down his front. He saw that Rose's gaze followed suit. "But as you can tell, I'm in a wee bit of discomfort."

Rose smiled as she quickly kissed him, then sat up. "I should get back to my flat," she said, moving her feet to the floor. Then she looked back at him, giving him a wicked smirk. "Give you a chance to take care of your problem."

Peter's jaw dropped as he registered her innuendo. "Why you little…" He reached for Rose, but only ended up flat on his face as she moved out of his reach.

"Oh no, you don't," she shrieked as she ran towards his front door. Seconds later, Peter was trailing after her.

"Come here, you," he called, following out the door she hurried out of. He had just caught up with her, turning her around and moving in to silence her giggles when a door opened behind them.

"Am I interrupting something?" a bland voice asked. Peter and Rose whirled around to see Jack standing in his door way. Peter saw Jack take in their appearance; rumpled clothes, messed up hair, and close proximity. There was no way Jack wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"Jack, it's not what you think…" Rose began, stepping away from Peter. But he would have none of it. Rose was his, and he didn't care what Jack thought about the two of them.

"It's exactly what you think, Jack," Peter smirked, pulling Rose back against him, making sure to make his claim on her.

Rose turned to him and frowned. "Not now, Peter," she said sternly. "Jack…"

Jack gave the two of them a rueful grin. "Its okay, Rose. It's none of my business what you do or who you do it with."

"That's not true, Jack," Rose said, becoming upset at the turn of events.

"Rose, why don't we talk later," Jack said, as if he sensed he was treading on thin ice. "Call me when you get a chance." And with a final nod at the two of them, he returned back into his flat.

Rose spun in his arm. "What the hell was that about?"

"I—" he said, not sure how to respond.

"Never mind," she snapped, moving away towards her flat door.

"Rose," he pleaded, following her to her door. "Don't be angry."

Rose sighed, leaning her head on the door. "I'm not angry, Peter." She turned around to face him. "But was that really necessary? Jack and I just close friends."

"I—" he began, not sure how to explain himself. "I don't know what came over me, Rose. There's something about you that doesn't want me to share you with anyone."

Rose smiled up at him, and leaned up to kiss him. "You don't have to. As far as I'm concerned, I'm yours." Peter felt a flood of relief at her admission. He backed her into her door, kissing her again in an effort to mark his claim.

Minutes later, Rose broke away, panting for breath. "Okay, I need to clean up…do you want to spend the day together?" she asked, giving him a hopeful look.

"I want to spend all my time with you," he said sincerely.

Rose just smiled. "Give me an hour, then. After that, you can take me out to brunch," she said. "I've seemed to have worked up an appetite." And with that, she turned to unlock her door and step inside.

Peter stood there for the next several minutes, trying to process what just happened. Unable to fully comprehend what was happening to him, he turned and headed back to his flat. Maybe he would take Rose's advice and deal with his not so little problem.

* * *

The next couple of weeks went by as if they were a dream for Rose. She couldn't remember being this happy in a relationship, ever. It was loads better than her botched attempt at living together with Jimmy Stone back when she was sixteen, and she felt more connected to Peter than she ever did with Mickey.

The only other relationship she could remotely compare it to was with the Doctor, though that had its problems too. For one, she never snogged the Doctor on a regular basis, and as much as she hated to admit it, she knew the Doctor would have never allowed their relationship to go beyond platonic, no matter how much either of them would have wanted to expand the relationship.

Peter was in a class by himself, really. He may share some of the same characteristics of the Doctor, but he was his own man. Every moment spent with him was driving that point home to her. On top of spending most of the working day in close proximity, they often spent their evenings together as well. Sometimes it was just take away in front of the telly and others it was going out on a more formal date. Either way, she was happier than she had been a long while.

The only problem that Rose could detect was she kept getting the feeling Peter wanted to tell her something, and didn't know how to say it. Several times he'd open his mouth to say something, and then he'd shake his head and ask some sort of innocuous question about Torchwood. Rose could tell it was something he was concerned about telling her, and rather let her imagination run wild speculating what it could be, she resolved to ask him point blank.

Hearing a knock at her door, she hurried over to open it. She smiled as she saw Peter juggling several different containers of Chinese take away and a bottle of wine in his arms. "Here, let me take some of that," Rose said, reaching for the wine and a couple of containers. She carried it over to the table, which was already set for eating.

"No hello kiss for me?" Peter complained, setting down his items and placing his hands around her waist. "After I braved the take away places on a Friday night?"

"Poor baby," Rose soothed, stepping farther into his embrace by wrapping her arms around his neck.

Peter just smiled as he lowered his lips to hers. Rose closed her eyes, as she allowed herself to be led deeper into his kiss. She pulled away after a few minutes, knowing that if she allowed it, their take away would get cold because Peter could happily snog her for hours.

"How about we eat first, then we can continue this later?" Rose said with a sly look.

"Is that a promise?" Peter asked, his eyes sparkling down at her.

"A guarantee," Rose replied, giving him a smirk. She let out a laugh when Peter pulled her towards him roughly, kissing her once very quickly.

"Have I ever told you how meeting you was the luckiest day of my life?" Peter said, resting his forehead against hers.

Rose smiled back at him, raising a hand to cup his cheek. "No you haven't, but I'm starting to feel the same way." She pulled away reluctantly. "Let's eat."

A half hour later, they were sitting on Rose's sofa, watching the telly yet again. Even though the act of watching telly seemed a mundane task, compared with all the adventure she and Peter encountered daily at Torchwood, it was a nice change of pace on occasion. Rose was in the corner of the sofa, her legs up on Peter's lap. Reaching forward, she grasped one of his hands in hers to get his attention.

"Peter?" she asked, entwining her fingers in his.

Peter turned to look down at her. "What Rose?"

"Is there something bothering you?" she quickly said, wanting to get what was bothering him out in the open. "I mean, the past couple days, I could tell something's been on your mind."

Peter sighed and tilted his head back on the sofa. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then reached forward for the remote to turn off the telly. "Rose, I have something I need to tell you about myself." He turned towards her and placed his other hand on top of their clasped ones.

"You're not married, are you?" Rose joked, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

A frown appeared on Peter's face. "No, I'm not married, Rose. I mean, I was once was, years ago, but it didn't work out. What I need to tell you is much worse than a failed marriage."

"Go on," Rose urged, wondering what could be more serious than not telling her he was once married.

"You know I was a Detective Inspector once, right?" he began, going on when he saw her nod. "Have you ever wondered why I'm not still working as one?"

Rose gave him a confused look. "I just assumed you were recruited by Torchwood and they offered more than working as a D. I.."

"Not quite," he said, pulling away from her and staring blankly into space. "A few months before I went to work here in Cardiff, I was assigned a murder case in Blackpool." He got up from the sofa and began restlessly pacing in front of her.

"Blackpool?" Rose said. "I thought you worked out of the North Lake District?"

"I did, but it was common for D.I.'s to be lent out when other cities were over worked. I went along with a Deputy Constable from my station. The case involved a kid who was beaten to death near an arcade," Peter sighed, stopping briefly as he began to retell the tale.

He explain his instant dislike and distrust of Ripley Holden and how he was positive Ripley was guilty of murdering the victim and covering up the crime. "I became obsessed with proving the man was guilty," Peter sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "But it only got worse when I met Natalie."

Rose just stared at him, not sure how to respond. "Natalie?" she asked timidly.

"Ripley Holden's wife," Peter said with a sigh. "At first, I only sought her out to find out more information about Ripley's family life, but it didn't take long for it to become more."

Rose wasn't sure how to handle what she was hearing. Was Peter saying what she thought he was saying? "Do you mean the two of you had an affair?"

"Yes," Peter groaned, throwing himself on the sofa again, but maintaining a small distance from Rose. "We feel in love with each other. Only problem was, I didn't tell her I was investigating her husband and family for a murder case."

As shocked as she was over the confession, Rose couldn't help but lean forward and place a hand on Peter's shoulder, causing him to turn towards her. "What else happened, Peter?"

"I—I lost my focus, Rose," he admitted. "I became determined to put Holden away and claim Natalie for my own. By the end of the case, I was as corrupt as you could imagine, willing to ignore information and take bribes to secure my future with Natalie."

"Ripley found out about the affair and blackmailed me into dropping the investigation," he continued, shame evident in his voice. "Said if I dropped the investigation into his family, he'd let me have Natalie," he looked over at Rose with a regretful expression, "and I took it."

"Oh, Peter," Rose sighed. "What happened next?"

"Well, I made a lot of enemies while in Blackpool," he said, "and some of them wanted me to pay for what I put Ripley through. He had friends in very high places. All it took was a few whispers in the right ears about my conduct, on top of the fact I was in a relationship with the main suspect's wife, to effectively end my career as a D.I.."

The curiosity got the better of her, even though she knew his relationship with Natalie couldn't have lasted. "And Natalie?"

"She left me," he snorted in disgust. "After she found out all I had done to her ex-husband and family, she said she was going to leave. Said she already married one man who was dishonest and willing to do what ever it took to get what he wanted, and didn't want to marry another."

Rose shifted closer to him, trying to digest all the information Peter told her. God knows she had made mistakes in her life, but this was way beyond what she imagined.

Peter continued to wrap up his story. "Anyway, I was stuck at a dead end desk job in Kendal, when Jack came along offering me a job with Torchwood. I jumped at it, because it gave me a chance to redeem myself after what happened in Blackpool."

Suddenly Rose remembered something from her past with the Doctor. Memories of trying to save her father from dying and having to deal with Reapers flashed through her mind. She could remember the Doctor's words to her when she tried to make up for what she had done. _Just... tell me you're sorry. _ She remembered how good it made her feel to know the Doctor had forgiven her, and even though Peter had done nothing against her personally, it was almost like he was asking her forgiveness.

She slid off the sofa and onto his lap so she was facing him, her legs straddling his. She saw his eyes widen at her actions, and reached forward to run her hand into his hair. "Are you sorry?"

"God, yes," Peter moaned, leaning forward. "I wish I'd never set foot in Blackpool."

Rose looked into his eyes. "I'm not," she said firmly, taking in his look of surprise. "I'm not sorry because it's made you the man you are today."

Peter's eyes widened as he heard her confession. Then he grabbed the back of her head, pulling her into a desperate kiss. She could feel the relief pouring off him as he started to process her acceptance of his past actions. He pulled away from her to look into her eyes.

"Rose, I—I—," words were failing him so instead he crushed his lips to hers.

Rose shifted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as their mouths tangled with each other. She broke away from his lips, trailing kisses along his jaw line until she reached his ear. She drew his earlobe into her mouth, sucking on it gently. As she released it, she placed her lips close to his ear and whispered, "make love to me."

Peter pulled away to look her in the eye again. He seemed to be searching for something and found the answer he was looking for. He pushed her off his lap and stood up, pulling her with him. Pulling her into another kiss, he began to blindly walk towards her bedroom.

As they neared the door, they bumped into the frame, causing them to break apart. Rose laughed weakly as Peter took the opportunity to kiss down her neck, reaching the collar of her tee shirt. He pulled the fabric down, trying to reach as much skin as he could manage, but became frustrated at the lack of access it allowed. He looked at her again, seeking permission to remove the garment. Rose nodded, and he grasped the ends of the shirt, pulling it over her head and throwing it to the ground.

Rose, not wanting Peter to have the advantage, pulled his oxford shirt out of his trousers, and immediately thrust her hands underneath to feel his bare skin. They continued their journey towards her bed, stopping just before it to remove Peter's shirt, gasping as their nearly bare skin pressed together.

Peter eased Rose down onto her bed, his mouth claiming hers again as he settled his body next to hers. His mouth soon left hers as he made his way down towards her breasts, kissing first the slopes of each, then he reached back to unclasp her bra.

Rose watched with hooded eyes as he slowly drew away her bra, then stopped to just stare at her breasts for a long moment. He tilted his head to look up at her, and slowly lowered his mouth to one nipple, drawing it into his mouth. Rose arched her back slightly, trying to get closer and closed her eyes at the sensation of his mouth on her breast.

Her hands tangled in his hair, pressing his head closer to her. He switched to the other breast, pulling that nipple into his mouth, curling his tongue around it. Rose let out a moan at the sensuous sensations he was causing.

Peter released her breast, then began kissing his way down her front, then looked up at her as if to ask permission to remove her jeans. She nodded slowly, and he popped open the button, then leisurely drew down the zipper to reveal her lacy knickers. Rose lifted her hips, and he swiftly drew the jeans down her legs. Rose helped kick off the jeans and watched as he stood up to remove his own trousers, socks and shoes. He left his boxers on and even though Rose wasn't a blushing virgin any longer, her eyes paused as she took in all of his body.

Rose smiled as she watched him crawl back onto the bed, this time settling himself in the cradle of her thighs, sighing as they felt their bare skin come in contact with each other. Rose wrapped her arms around his chest, trailing her hands up and down his lanky upper body.

Peter propped himself up on his elbows, looking down at her. A smile dawned on his face as he took in the sight of her desire filled eyes and her mussed hair scattered on the pillow case. He brought his head down to her lips, taking her bottom lip between his and sucking on it gently. Pulling away, he kissed the right corner of the mouth, then her left, then finally directly on her lips. Rose opened her mouth immediately, sliding her own tongue along his.

Rose could feel his erection against her centre, but she desperately wanted to feel more. Wrapping one leg around his for leverage, she thrust her pelvis up against his, causing him to break away with a ragged moan. She smiled at his reaction and did it again.

"You little minx," he growled, realising the need to go slow was quickly evaporating. One of his hands began to trail down her body, sliding under her knickers and down to test her readiness. His fingers eased into her centre, stoking in and out a few times. Rose just moaned at the sensations it caused.

"More…" she whimpered, thrusting up to meet his fingers.

Peter chuckled as he pulled his fingers away and moved them forward a bit, until he came in contact with the bundle of flesh that caused Rose to jump. As he rubbed against it a few times, Rose thought she'd nearly lose her mind with the feelings his caresses were causing.

"Peter," she moaned, moving against him restlessly. "Can't wait…need you."

Peter growled at her words, then moved swiftly to remove both their remaining undergarments. He moved into position between her thighs, and Rose again wrapped a leg around his, trying to pull him closer to her.

"Rose," Peter gasped, trying to maintain his control. "Are you sure?"

"Yesss…" she moaned, thrusting up and felt his erection slide along her folds.

Taking a moment to align himself with her opening, Peter slowly thrust into her. Rose tensed for a moment as he pushed in, causing him to pause when he felt her reaction. "What's wrong?"

"It's—it's been a while," she confessed. "Just go slow. I'll be fine in a minute or two."

Peter nodded, and continued to slowly enter her body. Once he was fully inside her, he stopped to allow her body to adjust to his length. Using a free hand, he stroked a lock of hair away from her face.

"Rose…" he murmured, leaning down to kiss her gently. As Rose began to respond to his kiss, he started to move inside of her. She broke away from his mouth as a moan escaped from her lips. Her other leg came up to join the other, and soon she could feel him sliding deeper into her body.

"God, Peter," she groaned, her body filled with sensations. His chest rubbing against hers, his length sliding in and out of her body, and his mouth lavishing kisses along her neck and throat. "More…"

Peter started moving faster as tensions grew in both their bodies. Rose could feel her climax building within her as Peter started moving more erratically within her. He propped himself up on one elbow, and carefully moved one hand down to where they were joined, pressing down on the bundle of nerves. Rose threw her head back as her climax overcame her, her body shuddering with its release.

A few more thrusts later, and Peter was shouting out in release as well, his body trembling with its intensity. Rose could feel his warmth flooding her insides and gasped slightly as he collapsed onto her. Peter burrowed his face in her shoulder and neck, murmuring nonsensical words into her skin, as Rose stroked his sweat soaked hair at his nape.

After a few long moments, Peter seemed to return to himself and rolled off of her. His arm pulled Rose along with him, drawing her up to lie along his side with her head pillowed on his chest. She looked up at him with a hesitant smile, and he leaned down to kiss her softly.

"No regrets?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

"Never," she replied, relaxing against him with a sigh. She shifted around a bit to get comfortable, enjoying the feel of lying in his arms with nothing between them. "This is nice," she murmured against his chest.

"Mmmm," he replied, kissing the top of her head. Then she heard him hesitantly say, "Rose, you know there's no going back now. I can't walk away anymore."

Rose sat up enough to look down at him. "I don't want you to walk away. I want you…all of you." She then leaned down to kiss him again. "I don't take relationships lightly, Peter. I'm going into this with both eyes open."

She watched the smile grow on his face. "Well then, give me a wee bit, and I think I can give you another go, if you're up to it."

Rose threw back her head and laughed with delight. "Is that a promise?" she asked teasingly, smiling widely with her tongue poking out the side of her mouth.

Peter lifted his head and kissed her swiftly. "God, I've wanted to do that every time I've seen your tongue when you smiled."

Rose smirked down at him. "I'll have to remember that next time I want a snog."

Peter laughed and pulled her down to him. "Minx."

Rose just smiled against his chest as she thought of all the delicious things yet to happen. She was so happy right now, and felt as if nothing could ruin her happiness.

* * *

"Goddard, report," Henry Van Statten barked as he walked briskly down the halls of Savant Research and Development, his newest research lab.

"All things are right on schedule, sir," she replied briskly. "We are receiving constant data from the Rift as we continue our experiments on the breach we've made."

"Excellent," he said, pleased with the news. "Have we obtained any new samples?"

"Last week we obtained a tissue sample from a Srythanyx alien. Carter from the lab thinks it might harbour bacteria we can adapt for some pharmaceuticals. We also were able to collect some debris from an alien shuttle crash before Torchwood showed up."

"And how does it go with our dear alien artefacts competitor? Have they given us any troubles?" he asked, curious to whether or not he needed to take more steps to stay off Torchwood's radar. _God damn pain in my ass, they are!_ he thought to himself, though he did admit keeping them away from his company was proving to be a challenge he hadn't had in years.

"No more than usual, sir," she replied as they reached his office.

Van Statten strode over to his desk and typed in a few commands on his view screen. He watched as a picture of a futuristic lab came into view. He spoke to the screen, "Simmons, any progress?"

A man came into view on the screen, wearing a protective suit over all of his body. "Some sir," he replied.

"Report," Van Statten commanded eager to hear news about his prize of his collection.

"No talking yet," he said, the camera view shift to reveal a beaten up Dalek chained in the room. "But I have managed to make it scream. Talking shouldn't be too far behind."

"Excellent," Van Statten said, pleased at the news. Everything was going according to plan, and would continue to do so as long as he could keep his company out of Torchwood's sights.


	7. Chapter 7

"I swear to god, when I finally get this mess with the Rift sorted out, I'm taking a fuckin' holiday," Jack swore to himself, as he looked over the latest reports on the heightened rift activity. He longed for the days back when he was a Time Agent and leave meant visiting one of the many pleasure planets in the universe. But those days were long gone, and he'd have to make do with a trip to Majorca or Greece. He missed the days when time and space were at his finger tips.

"No sense thinking about that now," he muttered to himself as he took a look at the research his people had acquired regarding three possible suspects in the rift disturbance. Of the three, only one stood out as the front runner. Savant Research and Development had both the resources and means to manipulate the rift, but getting the goods, so to speak, on them was harder than Jack anticipated.

If anyone but Jack was running Torchwood, they would have already shut down the facility, guilty or not. Jack, however, didn't want to make such a rash decision, as he always felt it was better to know exactly what you were getting into. He'd tried getting one of his people into the company, but was unsuccessful so far, and he suspected the direct route of questioning them directly would get him thrown out on his ear.

So he decided to go the underhanded route, and have Toshiko hack into their computer systems, which was easier said than done, apparently. After her first attempt to get in, to her surprise she had encountered a trap that had high jacked the Torchwood computer systems for the better part of a day. After that point, she had been more cautious than normal, and even then, it was like for every step forward, it was also two steps back.

Jack looked up a knock on his door. Gwen was standing there and he motioned for her to come in. "What's up?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," she sighed as she took a seat in a chair in front of his desk. "Toshiko is working as fast as she can, but she says she's never seen a computer system like it before. It's almost like it anticipates her every move and counters it some how."

Jack scrubbed his hands over his eyes. "And the other companies?"

"Well, we're still working on determining if they could be the culprits or not, but with every passing day, it's looking like Savant," Gwen replied. "What do you want us to do?"

"If only I knew," Jack muttered to himself. "Okay, tell Toshiko to keep digging with the computers. She still thinks she can crack them?"

"Aye," Gwen said. "But she says it's going to take her longer than usual considering all the precautions she's going to have to take to avoid another situation like last week."

"God, yes," Jack groaned, thinking back on having the entire building off line due to a computer virus triggered by a virtual trap of Savant's. "Based on the complex defenses alone pretty much convinces me Savant is the guilty one."

"I'd have to agree, Jack," Gwen replied. "Anything else you want done?"

"Just have everyone keep doing what they're doing," he said, glancing down at the reports quickly. "How are Rose and Peter dealing with the rift incidents?"

"Fine, I think," she replied, surprised by the change in subject. "Why?"

"Nothing really," he assured. "Just want to make sure everything going all right with the two of them."

Gwen gave him a wicked grin. "I think you know just as well as I do that their partnership is going fine. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen Peter in such a good mood before," she mused. "I never thought I'd see the day when I would see Peter Carlisle smile before his morning pastries."

"Just checking," Jack grinned, getting serious after a minute. He sighed, "as much as I support his relationship with Rose, the minute it becomes a problem at work, I'm going to have to re-assign them."

Gwen gave him a rueful expression. "Jack, this is Peter Carlisle we're talking about. Eventually, something's going to come up and cause a problem."

"I know, Gwen," he said, his face grim. "And that's what worries me the most."

* * *

Peter was afraid that his luck was going way too good for him. He'd been partners with Rose for nearly 6 months, dating her for one month and sleeping with her for the past two weeks, and he hadn't fucked up yet. It had to be a personal record for him, considering the disaster his marriage was and not to mention his relationship with Natalie was pretty much doomed before it even began.

He was amazed at how tolerant Rose was with some of his less desirable traits. His disorganization she brushed off, saying she wasn't always the neatest herself, and she lived with chaos before, first with her mother and then with the Doctor. His workaholic tendencies she ignored, being highly focused herself these days, and most nights she was working right along side him. As for his moodiness, she just snorted and told him he was nothing compared to the hot and cold reactions she dealt with daily when she travelled with the Doctor.

Peter wasn't sure what he thought about the Doctor. If he wasn't positive he would never enter their lives again, he would consider the man a romantic rival just as he had Ripley Holden. The problem was, he wasn't sure of the exact relationship Rose had with this Doctor fellow. When he thought back on their past conversation about her travels, she had been rather vague on the subject. And the problem was, Peter didn't know if he wanted to know just how Rose felt about the Doctor, because he was afraid it would disrupt the relationship they had managed to build so far together.

He was actually worried they had moved too fast in their relationship. At the moment, they were practically living together when they weren't at Torchwood. It really didn't matter which flat they stayed at, as long as they were together. Right now, he was laying in only his pyjama bottoms on her bed, with his reading glasses on and several file folders on his lap. Rose was used to him bringing files home with him, and would often sit with him before bed talking over aspects of whatever they were currently working on.

Right now, Torchwood was focused on finding out whether or not Savant Research and Development had anything to do with the increased rift activity. They were close to making a break through, Peter could just feel it. He heard Rose rummaging around in the loo, going through her nightly routine before bed.

"Rose, what's your thoughts on this Savant company?"

"Well, considering how much trouble their computer system is giving Toshiko, I'd say they were hiding something," she replied, her voice somewhat muffled from being in another room. "Whose the head of the company anyway?"

"That's one of the mysteries," he called out, looking down at the file again. "From what I can tell, someone called Diana Goddard is the person apparently in charge of the day to day operations, but she's not the owner."

Rose walked into the bedroom wearing a very short black chemise. "Diana Goddard? Goddard….why does that name sound familiar?" she muttered, as she brushed out her hair, then setting the brush on the nightstand.

"Don't know," he replied, not looking up from his file. "And I don't know why you insist on wearing those things to bed. You know I'm just going to take it off you later on."

"Oh really?" Rose asked amusement evident in her voice. "So you'd have me naked while we go over files together?"

"Why not?" he said, looking up at her with a smirk. "I had you bent over several of them the other night in the office. Didn't seem to bother you then."

He could see the tell tale signs of a blush creep up on Rose's cheeks as she recalled the intimate encounter they had as they worked late one evening. "Thank god no one was around," she said, shaking her head. "I still can't believe I did that…"

"Neither can I," Peter said, giving her a look. "I was minding my own business, filling out paper work, and _you _couldn't control yourself."

"Well, I couldn't bloody well resist you after watching you lick on that lolly for half the night," she muttered, glaring at him.

Peter put aside the files on the nightstand and took off his glasses. "So you find me irresistible, do you?" he asked with a smirk.

Rose reached over and smacked him on the shoulder. "Ow," he said, then grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down to him.

"I think it's time I taught you some restraint, Rose," he said, quickly pulling off her nightie and removing his own night clothes. Quickly pinning her under him, he grinned down at her. "I wonder how long it will take you before I have you writhing in pleasure?"

"Do your worst," Rose grinned back at him, eager as he was to begin the fun. He reached over to turn off the light, and soon his and Rose's moans filled the room.

* * *

"Peter, this really isn't necessary," Rose said in an exasperated voice. She was currently being carried up the stairs by Peter after taking a nasty spill on a sidewalk as they were walking back from a Saturday brunch.

"Rose, humor me, please," he replied, ignoring her many protests that she was fine and could walk on her own.

"But I can—" she started, then stopped when she saw the frustrated look on Peter's face. He said nothing as he reached his flat's door. He put her down for a moment to unlock and open the door, but when Rose made to enter on her own, he scooped her up again in his arms and made his way to his bedroom.

He sat her down gently on his bed, which was still unmade from their earlier activities. Kneeling down in front of her and looking at her intently, as if he was trying to ascertain what all could be wrong. "Rose, are you really all right?"

"Yeah," she sighed, reaching out to cup his cheek. "I'm fine, Peter, really. I'm probably going to have a huge bruise on my bottom after the fall, but beyond that, I'm fine. Other than my ego being bruised over making a fool of myself falling, that is." She gave him a rueful smile.

Truth was, she was hurting a bit and was sort of wishing she had the Doctor's dermal regenerator or one of his miracle cures right now, but she could live with a little discomfort. She was touched by the concern Peter showed towards her, as she recalled him quickly helping her up when she fell, then resorting to carrying her after she expressed some mild discomfort. While she was somewhat embarrassed by his reaction to her pain, she was touched as well. No other man she was with would have showed such concern over such a mild injury. Mickey would have laughed at her and the Doctor would have asked if she was all right, then left her alone after she had said she was fine.

Leaning forward, she kissed him, feeling his mouth open under hers and his tongue reaching out to greet hers. She'd was so happy being with Peter. He really was the perfect man for her, being a combination of all the traits she liked best in the Doctor, and even Mickey, but Peter had a sense of permanence about him. Like he was someone she could see spending the rest of her life with in a way she never could with the Doctor or Mickey.

Peter pulled away from her, his fingers slowly combing through her hair. "I think I know just the thing to sooth your delectable bottom. How about having a nice soak in the bath?"

"Mmmm," Rose sighed, thinking that sounded lovely. "That'd be wonderful."

"You wait here then, and I'll start the water," he said, standing up. "I'll even throw in some of that flowery bubble bath you like so well." Since she and Peter had been staying so much at each other's flats, each had accumulated a number of each others toiletry items.

She watched him walk towards the bath, and a thought occurred to her. "So I take it you won't be joining me then," she asked, hearing the water begin to run.

Peter returned the bedroom with a smile. "I think I can stand smelling like a flower garden for one day." He held his hand out to her, pulling her up. They quickly removed each other's clothes, and hurried into the bath, where the bathtub was nearly full.

Peter leaned forward to turn off the taps, and gestured for her to get in. Rose stepped gingerly into the hot water, hissing as her skin came in contact with the steaming bath. "Too hot?" Peter asked, taking in her expression.

"No, just right," Rose replied, as she eased herself down. "Feels perfect."

"Move forward," he said. She slide forward, drawing her knees to her chest to make room. He carefully got in behind her, easing down into the bath until he was sitting behind her. Placing his hands on her waist, he pulled her back until she was sitting in front of him, her back against his chest.

"This is nice," she sighed, turning her head to look up at him. He leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Feeling better?" he asked, pulling away from the kiss.

"Loads," Rose replied, relaxing more and more. Suddenly a thought came to her, "I've never done this with anyone…"

"Shared a bath?" Peter asked, kissing her neck.

"Nope," she said, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of Peter's hands trailing up and down her upper body. "Never had this kind of relationship before."

"Oh?" Peter said curiosity in his voice.

"Jimmy Stone was a mistake from the beginning and Mickey…well, Mickey and I were rather immature from the beginning about everything. Plus I still lived with my mum," she explained.

"What about the Doctor?" Peter asked, his voice slightly tense.

"What do you mean?" she replied. "The Doctor and I never—"

"But you cared about him, didn't you?" he interrupted.

"Of course I did," Rose retorted, not sure where he was going with this.

"Did he care about you?" he persisted.

"Yes," she hissed, wishing Peter would drop the subject. She did not want to get into this now.

"Did he love you?" he asked, becoming more insistent with his questions. When Rose didn't answer him immediately, he continued, "did you love him?"

"Why are you doing this, Peter?" Rose asked, starting to become angry. "It doesn't matter how he or I felt about each other anymore, because it's not like I can go back to him."

"So what am I, then?" Peter asked, "just a substitute for your precious Doctor?"

"No!" she said, her anger at his mistrust in her feelings shining through. "You're my lover and my work partner."

"Is that all, Rose?" he snapped. "Because you are a hell of a lot more than that to me. I'm not going to be second in your life. Especially not to an alien whose left you stranded somewhere you don't belong."

"Don't belong?" She couldn't believe it. Did he really think that about her? "I think I'd better leave, if that's the way you feel about me." She got up out of the bath, grabbing a towel to quickly dry off. She had to get out of here before one of them said something they'd regret.

"Rose—" Peter said, standing up to follow her. Not wanting to deal with him right now, she dropped the towel and hurried out of the loo. She heard Peter following her. "Rose you can't leave, all your clothes are in the bedroom."

Rose stopped for a brief second. If she went back to change, Peter would surely corner her and continue his unreasonable questioning about her relationship with the Doctor. Deciding she didn't want to deal with him just now, she grabbed the nearest article of clothing, which happened to be Peter's trench coat and grabbed her purse hanging by the door.

She stalked out of his flat, reaching into her bag to retrieve her keys. She had to get to her flat before Peter came after her. She was nearly to her door when she heard Peter call out to her, "Rose, be reasonable. You can't go around naked."

She turned around and saw him standing in this doorway in only a towel. She gave him a superior look. "Says you," she retorted. "Besides, I'm not naked."

"No, you're wearing my trench coat," he said in an incredulous voice.

Rose looked down at the blue trench with disgust. What was it with men and their bloody trenches? Untying the sash, she pulled it off and threw it in his direction. "Fuckin' trenches..." she turned to her door and quickly opened in. "Keep your bloody trench coat. Why do I always have to fall for men who are obsessed with god-damned coats?" She entered the flat, slamming the door after her.

She leaned against the door, her bare back, still slightly damp from her bath and causing her skin to stick to the door. Had she really stalked out of his flat in only in a trench coat, then when confronted about it, she actually stripped it off and threw it back to him? Had she lost all common sense?

Rose shook her head, and pushed away from the door. Shivering some, she wrapped her arms around herself as she padded to her bedroom to dress. Knowing Peter, he would probably be back to continue the argument. He was not a man to let go of things like this, not like the Doctor.

She stopped in the act of pulling on a tee shirt. Why was she so hesitant to tell Peter about the exact nature of her relationship with the Doctor? She knew she'd never see him again, and she was pretty sure she was in love, or close to falling in love with Peter. Why was she holding back?

Could it be, that if she admitted how she felt about the Doctor, she'd have to also say he _didn't_ feel the same way? That he loved her, but that he could never be the man she wanted him to be?

Suddenly she heard a knock at the door. It must be Peter. Usually he used his key, but he probably wanted to make sure she had calmed down and wanted to see him. Tugging on the tee, she quickly went to open the door. Throwing it open, she cried, "Peter, I'm sorry…" and got the surprise of her life

Standing in her doorway was her mother, Pete and little sister Lizzie. "Surprise sweetheart!"

* * *

Peter stood in his doorway in shock. How could a day that started out so well end so horribly? Why did he have to fuck everything up by questioning Rose about the Doctor? He knew from the first moment Rose told him about the Doctor that the topic was an argument waiting to happen. Mindlessly, he picked up his trench coat from where Rose had thrown it at him, then turned to return to his flat. Alone.

Why had he brought up the Doctor now? Damn, but he was starting to hate that man. It was just like Ripley Holden all over again, except this time, instead of the Doctor being exactly like him, it seemed the he was his exact opposite. The Doctor was Rose's ideal man, and Peter was beginning to believe he could never match up.

Ever since he heard about the Doctor, he'd worried about Rose's attachment to him. She seemed to have him on this pedestal that Peter desperately wanted to knock him down from. If the Doctor loved Rose as much as she implied he did, then he would do anything in his power to get back to her. Peter knew he'd move heaven and earth to find Rose and get her back. He loved her that much.

The relationship had been going too perfectly. While he was extremely happy with Rose, a voice in the back of his head kept whispering he wasn't good enough for her. All that went wrong with Natalie and his ex-wife weighed on his mind, and when combined with his jealously of Rose's Doctor, he couldn't help but lash out. He needed to know where he stood with Rose's feelings.

Suddenly, he remembered what she said to him in the hall, _Why do I always have to fall for men who are obsessed with god-damned coats?_ Was she in love with him too? Maybe she did love him and not the Doctor. He had to find out. Rushing to his room, he quickly redressed, intent on working things out with Rose. If there was even a slight chance she loved him, he had to take it.

Not even bothering to put on any shoes, he grabbed his keys to let himself into Rose's flat. Seconds later he was opening her door, "Rose, I'm…" the words died on his lips as he faced not only Rose but an irate woman who closely resembled Rose, a tall ginger haired man, and a small girl, who was the spitting image of Rose.

The older blonde narrowed her eyes at him. "You!" she said with a venomous voice. "How dare you come back again!"

"Mum!" Rose implored, trying to stop her mother. "That's not—"

"I thought I saw the last of you back on that beach in Norway," Rose's mum interrupted. "But no, you couldn't stay away from my daughter, could you Doctor? Are you going to take her away from us again? Take her back to the other universe so I can never see her again? So she can't see her little sister or father?"

Peter looked at her with a dazed expression. What exactly was she saying? Why was she calling him Doctor? He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Jackie, maybe you should—" the tall ginger man began, all the while trying to sooth the fussing child.

"No, Pete," Jackie said, turning to him in exasperation. "I'm going to have my say. That man," she pointed at Peter, "nearly destroyed Rose two years ago, and I'll be damned if I allow it to happen again."

"Mum," Rose pleaded, tugging on her mother's arm, but her eyes were on Peter, begging him to understand. "Mum, that's not the Doctor!"

"What do you mean, that's not the Doctor?" Jackie said, turning to look at Rose. "He looks exactly like him." She turned to look him over closer. "Except scruffier," she looked closer at him, then at Rose, taking in the slightly wet and disheveled appearances. "So if you're not the Doctor, who the hell are you? And why are you shagging my daughter?"

"Oh god!" Rose cried, putting her hands over her face. "Mum, Pete, this is Peter Carlisle. I work with him at Torchwood."

Peter had enough of this conversation. "Work with me at Torchwood? That's all I am to you?"

"Peter, no—" Rose began, taking a step towards him.

"I thought we were more than that," he said, a look of hurt on his face. "At least now I know why you never told me about your feelings for the Doctor. Apparently, I'm just an easy substitute."

"No, that not it at all!" she cried, moving towards him. Peter backed away.

"No, I can't do this now, Rose," he said, turning toward the door and opening it. He walked away without saying another word. He heard Rose hurry after him, slamming the door behind her.

"Peter, wait!" she yelled, following him as he bypassed his door to head down the stairs to the back alley way. He needed to get away from her.

Bursting out of the door, he began walking down the alley, trying to put some distance between him and Rose, but soon she caught up with him. Pulling on his arm, she managed to turn him around to look at her.

"Peter, I'm sorry…" she began, a look of guilt evident in her eyes.

"Sorry for what Rose? Sorry you didn't tell me I looked exactly like a man you used to be in love with?" he snarled, angry beyond belief. "Or sorry I found out?"

"I—I—" she stammered, tears running down her face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you how much you resembled the Doctor—"

"Resembled?" he snorted. "From what I could tell, he could be my bloody twin."

"Okay, yes! You look exactly like the Doctor! Happy now?" she snapped, clearly at her wits end.

"No Rose, I'm not," he said in a calmer tone. "I'm not happy, because I'm not sure I know you anymore. I told you everything about me, and yet you held this back." He laughed, realizing the irony of his situation. "I did the same thing to Natalie, you know…kept an important detail from her about my part in investigating her family. Now I'm beginning to understand how she felt…"

"Peter no," she pleaded, taking a hold of his arm. "I lo—"

Suddenly he heard a whooshing sound of a strange engine. The wind began to pick up around him and Rose. "What the hell?"

"No…" Rose gasped, her face gone white. "It can't be…"

A strange blue box materialized out of thin air right in front of them. Peter could feel Rose start to go faint, and instinctively put an arm around her waist to support her. The noise and wind stopped as suddenly as it began. Peter watched in amazement as the door to the box opened and out stepped a tall, dark haired man in a leather jacket.

"Hello there," the man said in a northern accent. "Have either of you noticed anything strange going on here?"


	8. Chapter 8

She never thought she'd hear that sound ever again. For two long years, she lived in hope that someday she'd heard the familiar whir of the TARDIS engines materializing somewhere nearby, but since coming to Cardiff, she had let go of those hopes and dreams in favour of new ones. But apparently fate had another plan as she stood there, motionless waiting for the inevitable to appear.

"What the hell?" Rose heard Peter say next to her, as the wind and debris began flying around them.

"No…" She couldn't believe this was happening again. Did the Doctor find a way back to her? But how? He had very clearly said that it was impossible for him to return without shattering both universes. "It can't be…" However, a tiny voice inside her head whispered, _the doctor was always fond of doing the impossible._

A TARDIS materialized out of thin air right in front of them. She began to sway on her feet, and felt Peter place an arm around her waist to hold her up. The noise and wind stopped as the TARDIS finished the materialization sequence. The door slowly opened to reveal a face she never thought she'd see again.

"Hello there. I'm the Doctor," her first Doctor said, giving both of them a manic grin. "Have either of you noticed anything strange going on here?"

"It can't be," she gasped, blinking in disbelief. "You're dead! I saw you die!"

The Doctor stared at her. "I'm sorry?"

"Doctor…" Rose said, taking a step towards the Doctor, and Peter's arm dropped limply from her waist.

"Yes, that's my name," the Doctor said, giving her a strange look. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea who you are."

"Of course," Rose whispered to herself, as all was becoming clear to her.

Beside her, she heard Peter say, "Wait a minute…this is the Doctor, Rose? I thought he looked just like me?"

Rose turned to Peter, giving him a looked that pleaded with him to understand. "This isn't my Doctor, just like Jack wasn't my Jack," she said, as she turned to face the face she had first fell in love with years ago. "This is this universe's Doctor."

The Doctor stepped closer to her. "How exactly do you know who I am?"

Rose closed her eyes for a moment. If only this had happened months ago, she might have been happy to see the Doctor, but now, she had Peter and this was another complication to add to her relationship problems.

"Maybe we should go inside," she suggested, becoming aware that she and Peter were standing outside in bare feet. "I'm afraid this is going to be a long story." She looked imploringly first at the Doctor, then at Peter. The Doctor gave a curt nod, his curiosity about what was happening getting the best of him. Peter on the other hand had a blank expression on his face. Rose stepped up to him, placing a hand on his arm. "Please, for me…" Peter shut his eyes for a moment, then nodded.

"This way," Rose said, turning back to the building and opening the door. Silently, she led the way up the stairs back to her flat. Pushing the door open, she groaned as she saw her mum, Pete and Lizzie sitting on her couch. "Oh, god…I forgot."

"Rose!" Jackie cried, handing off Lizzie to Pete again and coming towards her. "What's going on?" She then gasped as she saw the Doctor walk in the flat. _"You!"_

"Mum, not now," Rose said, trying to get her mum to sit back down, but Jackie wouldn't be subdued.

Turning to Rose, she said, "I thought you said he died?" as she pointed at the Doctor. Peter entered shortly after and closed the door behind him, watching what was happening with a cautious expression.

"I seem to be hearing that a lot these days," the Doctor quipped, taking in the crowd as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Someone care to tell me why?"

"Rose, what the hell is going on here?" Jackie screeched. "First I meet a man that looked like the Doctor, and yet you say he's not, and now, I see another man who looks like the first Doctor, but he's the Doctor you told me died."

From the couch, Rose heard Pete mutter, "I think I'd like to know what's going on as well."

"Make that three," Peter chimed in, his voice gruff.

"Four," piped in the Doctor. "And since you, young lady, seem to have all the answers, I think it's time for you to start explaining. Why don't you start with who you are?"

Rose took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. This was a nightmare. In all of her dreams of reuniting with the Doctor, she never envisioned being stuck in a room with her first version of the Doctor, a boyfriend who looked like the second incarnation, her mother who didn't really care for either, and her sort of dad.

"First off, my name is Rose Tyler," Rose started, then pointing at her mum and Pete. "This is my mum Jackie and dad Pete," she turned to look at Peter, praying she could make him understand. "And this is my boyfriend, Peter Carlisle." Peter just gave her an unreadable look.

"And I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said. "Though from what I already gathered, everyone here seems to already know that."

"I used to travel with you," Rose said quickly, turning to him. Seeing him open his mouth to deny it, she quickly interrupted, "no, I know I never travelled with you personally. I mean I travelled with an alternate version of you."

"All right," the Doctor said slowly. "I can understand that. Different dimensions, different Doctors…but why do you keep saying I died?"

"Because you did," Rose said, looking up at him. "I met you during an invasion of the Nestene Consciousness, and after I helped you defeat them, you asked me to travel with you."

"The Nestene Consciousness invaded your Earth?" The Doctor said. Rose just nodded.

"Anyway, we traveled together for nearly a year, when we were faced with an invasion of Daleks on a space station," Rose explained, tears in the back of her eyes, as she remembered what happened all those years ago.

"Daleks?" the Doctor said, disbelief in his voice. "Daleks in your universe too?" Rose saw the pain in his eyes. "Was that how I died?" Rose shook her head.

"No," she said softly. "You couldn't have regenerated if a Dalek had killed you."

"You know about regeneration?" the Doctor said incredulity.

Rose continued, ignoring the question for now. "You sent me away in the TARDIS to keep me safe—"

"Only time I really liked the man," Jackie muttered from her seat on the couch.

"Not now, Jacks," Pete hushed. Rose looked at him thankfully.

"But I came back. Ripped open the TARDIS and looked into the Time Vortex," Rose said, looking back at the Doctor. She heard him gasp. "I destroyed all the Daleks and ended the time war. But I was dying, so you took the Vortex from me."

"Rose, you never told me that," Jackie admonished.

Rose turned to Jackie with a glare. "Would you have understood? I had to go back and save him, even if it meant giving my life. He felt the same way when he took the Vortex from me, only he did give his life, or rather a regeneration."

Rose turned, only this time looking at Peter, who was still standing next to the door with a look of confusion and hurt on his face. "You changed bodies and faces, and when the regeneration process was complete, you looked like Peter."

The Doctor turned to look at Peter for the first time. "I turned into that pretty boy?"

"Yes, you did," Rose snapped, turning back to him. "And you were quite pleased with it, if the amount of time you spent styling your hair was any indication." Rose could hear Peter snort in the background, and she gave him a quick smile.

"Oi!" the Doctor yelped, offended by the thought.

"And after you changed, I continued to travel with you, until—" she stopped when she heard an urgent knock at the door. Peter turned to open it. Jack stood on the other side.

"Peter, Rose, thank god you're both here," he said, stepping in the flat. "Toshiko cracked the system and we're in. We know that Savant is the reason the rift is causing problems."

* * *

He had just received the call from Toshiko a few minutes ago. Her team had managed to break through Savant's computer defenses and the quickly found the evidence Torchwood was looking for. However, she cautioned that Torchwood needed to move fast, because although she didn't think Savant was aware of the security breach, she couldn't guarantee it. But Jack now had the proof he needed to shut the place down.

As he stepped into Rose's flat, intending to collect her and Peter to assist with the raid, he quickly took in the tense atmosphere and the presence of new people. Sitting on the couch was Pete Tyler, one of the heads at the London branch of Torchwood and his wife Jackie, along with a small child that resembled Rose. However it was the presence of a tall man in a battered leather jacket that really drew his attention. For some reason, this man had an air about him that was extraordinary.

"Rose, what the hell is going on?" Jack asked, looking over the assembled crowd.

"Not now, Jack," she pleaded, giving him a look that said she's explain later. "What's going on?"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Rose—" he started, giving a pointed look to her mother and the stranger.

Behind him, Peter spoke for the first time in a cold voice. "You might as well talk, Jack. You're in the presence of the famed Doctor."

Jack gave Rose a confused look. "I though you said he looked—"

"Apparently she's told that to a lot of people," the Doctor quipped. "Now, you said something about problems with the Temporal Rift?"

Jack just nodded, making a quick decision to trust the man. "Like I said, Toshiko cracked the system, and now we have proof that Savant Research and Development are the cause of all our increased rift activity," Jack said, then turned to the Doctor. "I'm surprised to see you here, Doctor. From our Torchwood records, you are rarely seen on Earth."

"Yeah, well," the Doctor said, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I have my reasons to stay away, but I picked up the increased Temporal Rift activity and noticed it was approaching dangerous levels. Also, in the midst of all the activity, I was also picking up a stray distress signal from an alien creature. Couldn't ignore the mess you apes were making of your planet any longer."

Peter snorted from behind. "Nice of you to finally show up, Doctor. We could have used you several years ago when a mad man decided to improve the human race by turning us into Cybermen."

The Doctor turned to him in surprise. "What?"

"You know, from what Rose told me, I was under the impression the Doctor cared about the universe, but apparently you couldn't bother with Earth enough to stop millions of innocent people being turned into robots against their will," Peter hissed, anger towards the Doctor visible on his face.

Rose walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm to calm him. "Peter, now is not the time," she said, looking up at him. "Besides, the Doctor, _my Doctor_, did deal with the Cybermen, then Mickey stayed behind to fight."

The Doctor looked at Rose in surprise. "Your Doctor was in this universe before?"

Suddenly Pete interrupted the conversation. "We don't have time for this discussion right now." He looked over at Peter, then the Doctor. "Deal with your personal issues after we've stopped Savant." He turned to address Jack. "Jack, continue with your briefing."

"Like I said, we have proof that Savant is behind the rift problems. We've also found out who is in charge. Someone named Van Statten."

Jack saw Rose go white. "Rose, what is it?" he asked, concern for him in his voice.

"Van Statten?" she asked, faintly. "You're sure it's him?"

"Positive," Jack said, confused by her reaction.

"Then we have more problems than his company mucking about with the rift," she said, closing her eyes. "I've met him before in my travels with my Doctor."

The Doctor took a step closer to Rose. "You did?"

Rose nodded weakly. "It was a similar situation, though the rift had nothing to do with it." She turned to look the Doctor in the eye. "You picked up a distress signal coming from somewhere in Utah, and when we landed, we found out Van Statten was a collector of alien artifacts." She closed her eyes as if painful memories were rushing back to her. "But the prize of his collection was a live alien, one of the long survivors of my universe's Time War." She opened her eyes again to look the Doctor in the eye again, taking in the pain on his face at the mention of the Time War. "A Dalek."

* * *

Peter Carlisle was not a happy man at the moment. He would have been out the door long ago, if not for the pleading looks Rose had given him over the past hour or so. To think this morning started off with him sharing a bath with Rose and ended up with him finding out he was the identical twin of her Doctor _then _meeting this universe's version of the Doctor who _didn't_ look like him…needless to say, he was not only angry but damned confused.

He had no idea what Rose meant when she said the Doctor died, then regenerated. What the hell did that mean? Dead was dead. And now she was talking about some kind of Time War and something called a Dalek?

"Okay, forgive me for being stupid," Peter interjected, feeling he had stayed silent long enough. "But what the hell is a Dalek?"

But it was not Rose who answered his question, but the Doctor. "Your worst nightmare. The Dalek race was genetically engineered - every single emotion was removed except hate. It knows nothing but destroying all species that are not Dalek." The Doctor turned to look at Rose. "What I don't understand is if this world's Van Statten does have a Dalek in his compound, how exactly is he keeping it contained? It should have killed everyone in the United Kingdom by now."

Rose looked speculative. "Well, the Dalek in my world needed the genetic makeup of a time traveler to regenerate itself. I think it was pretty much harmless until that happened."

"Who in their right mind would do something so entirely stupid as—" the Doctor growled, then saw Rose's unhappy expression. "Oh…"

Jack cut in on the conversation. "So that means that it's hands off for Rose, me and the Doctor."

The Doctor turned to Jack in surprise. "Why—"

"Captain Jack Harkness, Time Agent from the 51st century, at your service," Jack said, sticking out his hand in introduction. Peter looked over at Jack in surprise.

"Jack?" he asked, feeling more and more like he was the only person in the room with no idea of what was happening.

"Sorry, Peter," Jack explained sheepishly. "It's not something I broadcast out to people. It's not like I had much of a choice thanks to Torchwood."

"We don't have time to get into this now, Peter," Rose said. "We'll talk about this later, once we have the rift sorted out."

"You bet we're going to have a talk," Peter growled.

"Right, so we need to get inside this Savant place," the Doctor interrupted. "The TARDIS can—"

"It's not just that," Rose interjected. "If this Van Statten is like the one I encountered, that company is going to be like a military base."

"So the typical Torchwood approach probably isn't going to work, you're trying to tell us?" Peter said, as the feeling of foreboding overcame him.

"Not unless we want to risk lives for both Torchwood and Savant employees," Rose agreed, moving over to stand next to him.

"So we need to find a more subtle approach," Peter said, feeling mildly surprised when Rose wrapped one of her arms around his for support. "Anyone have any suggestions?"

"Well, like the Doctor said, he can re-materialize the TARDIS inside the compound," Rose began, beginning to brainstorm ideas. "What we need to some how stop whatever they're doing to the rift, and shut down the company for good."

"Toshiko said they were using some type of machine to manipulate the breach," Jack said. "If I could get to it, I could probably shut it down. Ultimately Torchwood would like to retrieve the technology if at all possible, of course."

"What, so you can go messing about the rift yourselves?" the Doctor snorted. "I don't think so. That technology needs to be destroyed."

"No, I don't think you understand," said a gruff voice. The group turned to see Pete standing up and coming towards them. "We need to make sure no one gets there hands on this technology ever again. We had one mad man try to destroy our world with his creations, we don't need two. Torchwood has no intentions of ever messing around with that rift. Not on my watch."

"Nor mine," Jack agreed. "But the Doctor does have a point. We need to have a back up plan in case we can't seize into custody the technology."

"When the Doctor and I had to close the breach back in 1869 Cardiff," Rose began, looking a bit nervous at what she was about to suggest. "We blew it up."

"Blow it up?" The Doctor said incredulously. "You and your Doctor closed the breach by blowing it up?"

"Well, we didn't have much of a choice," she snapped. "We were being attacked by the dead people possessed by the Gelth. And as they traveled by gas, we needed to fill the house in order to make them leave the bodies. And the explosion was needed to secure the breach."

The Doctor said nothing after that, but Jackie leapt into action at Rose's comment.

"Wha' ca mean you blew up a breach? Was that a regular thing with you and the Doctor? How many more explosions did you live through and not tell me about?" Jackie demanded. Pete walked over and grabbed hold of her.

"Jacks, we're going to our hotel. I'm going to need to call London for back up, I'm sure," he said, steering her over to the door. "And Lizzie needs to be put to sleep. She can barely keep her eyes open."

Rose threw Pete a thankful look. They watched as Pete forced Jackie and her little sister out the door. She turned back to face the Doctor and Jack. "So I assume you'll need a distraction to all you to get to this machine?"

"Most likely," Jack said.

"I did get a distress call from some kind of alien life," the Doctor mused, "maybe I should check out what is asking for help."

"Good idea," Jack said, pulling out his phone. "I'm going to call Toshiko and get her to send me the schematics of the plant. Can we download the info to your ship?" he asked the Doctor. The Doctor nodded. "Good, I'll also need to call Gwen and have her get some explosives on the off hand chance we need to destroy the place. I have her drop it off here as soon as possible."

Jack turned to Rose. "Rose, you and the Doctor are in charge of the distraction—"

Peter nearly exploded when he heard that. "Jack, Rose is my partner, she should stay with me."

The Doctor didn't look any more enthused by the suggestion. "I can handle—"

"Look, Rose knows more about Van Statten than any of us," Jack explained patiently. "If she's even remotely right, she'll give us a huge advantage. Besides Peter, I'm going to need your help with the machine. I'm good, but I'm not that good."

Peter was not happy over this turn of events. As upset as he was over Rose's lies of omissions, he didn't want to trust her safely to a stranger. Rose looked up at him, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I'll be fine," she said, looking into his eyes. "The Doctor will keep me safe. I'm more worried about you and Jack than I am about myself."

Peter closed his eyes. "Rose—"

"I know, Peter," she said softly. "We have a lot to talk about, but we need to stop this rift thing now."

He just nodded mutely, wanting to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He was just about to do just that when Jack spoke up.

"Okay, everything's set. Gwen will meet us here in ten minute with the explosive device and Toshiko is sending the plans as we speak," he said, then he turned to the Doctor. "Where's your ship parked?"

"Back alley way," Rose said. "It's the blue Police Box."

"Interesting ship," Jack said, raising his eyebrows slightly. "I can't wait to see it. Okay, give me fifteen minutes people and we're on." He then walked out the door to wait for Gwen.

"Right, then," the Doctor said, rubbing his hands together. "Let's get to the TARDIS."

"Wait a minute, Rose," Peter said, stopping her before she could head out the door. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He motioned down towards their bare feet. Rose turned a little red as she realized.

"Oh yeah," she said sheepishly. She turned to the Doctor, "Give Peter and I a minute to put on some shoes." She then looked at Peter and he followed her into her bedroom.

Rose went to her wardrobe where she kept her own shoes and a spare pair for Peter. Pulling them out, she handed him his trainers, and quickly went her dresser to grab them each a pair. She sat down next to him on the bed.

"Peter, I really am sor—"

"Not now, Rose," he said, finishing up tying his trainers and standing up. "We'll talk later." He left to rejoin the Doctor who was waiting not so patiently.

He thought Rose was behind him, but when he returned to where the Doctor was, he was surprised to her the Doctor ask, "where's Rose?"

Peter looked behind him, and saw she hadn't followed him out. "Don't know," he replied. "Thought she was right behind me."

"Look this isn't time for a lover's spat, you know," the Doctor began.

"We're not having a spat, you bloody—" Peter began, growing more irate as he saw the Doctor just raised an eyebrow. He was interrupted by Rose walking into the room.

"'Bout time," the Doctor muttered impatiently, turning and heading towards the door. Rose hurried to catch up with him and they fell into easy conversation about her time in the other Universe's TARDIS.

Peter trailed along behind them as a new fear dawned in him. Would Rose want to stay here on Earth, when she could get another chance to travel the stars with this Doctor? Who would she choose: real life with him or live the fantasy adventure with the Doctor?


	9. Chapter 9

Rose followed the Doctor out to the TARDIS. As messed up as her life was right now, she had to admit she was excited about stepping back into one again. Unlocking the door, the Doctor opened them to reveal the interior of the ship.

Stepping inside, it was very similar to what she was used to in her two years of travel with the doctor, only this TARDIS had a more metallic feel to it, but the essentials were basically the same. As she walked up towards the console, she ran her fingers along the railing. Behind her, she heard Peter gasp as he walked in the doors.

"Bigger on the inside," he said, his voice calm after his initial reaction.

"The interior of the TARDIS exist in a different dimension from the outside world," the Doctor said, going over to the console and taking in some of the readings.

"Oh," Peter replied, shaking his head. "I'd ask more questions, but I'm not sure I want to know the answers."

The Doctor looked up at Peter. "Good, cause we don't have time for questions." He turned to look at Rose. "How long before the Captain returns?"

"Shouldn't be long now," Rose replied, going up to get a closer look at the console. Around her, she could hear the hum of the TARDIS, a sound she had missed for over two years. She ran her fingers along the console, taking in the strange symbols that the Doctor once explained was Gallifreyan. "I missed this ship," she said wistfully.

"She marvellous, isn't she?" the Doctor said, a smile on his face.

"Yes, she is…" Rose whispered, feeling as though this Doctor's TARDIS recognized her connection and love for the alternate universe's one.

A knock came from the TARDIS door, and the Doctor hurried over to open it. Jack stood on the outside, whistling as he walked in the door. "Impressive!"

"Thank you," the Doctor said, clearly enjoying the admiration of his ship.

"When I have more time, I want to know more about this beauty of a ship, but right now we need to get into Savant," Jack said, as he turned to the Doctor. "Can we patch into the internet?"

"Of course," the Doctor scoffed. "The TARDIS can do anything."

"Right then," Jack said, walking up the console. "If you can bring it up, I'll give you the information to bring up the plans for the Savant building."

The Doctor nodded, and he and Jack began to work together at the console. Rose was amazed at how well this world's Jack adapted to the TARDIS. Of course, it shouldn't surprise her, as Jack always reminded her of the Doctor.

Peter walked over to her, and she could feel his hesitation. She turned to him and asked, "so, what do you think?"

"I'm not sure, Rose," he replied honestly. "This is a lot to take in."

"I'm sure it is, Peter," she said earnestly, looking up at him. "I want you to know—"

"Found were the machine is located. It's on level 3, and it seems that Van Statten has something very secretive hidden in level 8," Jack interrupted.

Rose hurried over to the view screen. "It's probably the Dalek, then," she said.

"I can probably land us on level 5 some where. That would give us both close distance to the TARDIS so that if something goes wrong, we can make a quick exit," the Doctor said, as he looked at the plans.

Rose suddenly was reminded of her first encounter with the Doctor and how she and Mickey were unable to enter the doors without a key. "Uh, Doctor?" she said hesitantly, not knowing how he'd react to what she was about to say. "Your TARDIS is locked when the door is shut, right?"

"Of course it is," he scoffed. "I don't want just anyone wandering in."

"So how are Peter and Jack going to get back into the TARDIS? We can't guarantee we'll both arrive back at the same time," she said, looking over at Peter with the concerned expression. "I don't want them trapped outside the TARDIS with no way of entering."

The Doctor gave Rose a look of understanding, but still seemed hesitant to give such access to the TARDIS. Rose reached down into her jeans pocket and pulled out a key. "Doctor, will this work in your TARDIS?"

He reached over and took the metal key in his hands, turning it over several times to examine it. "Should work fine…where did you get it?" he asked.

"It was the key to my Doctor's TARDIS," she explained. "It was one of the few things I had on me when I was brought into this world."

The Doctor nodded as he listened to her explanation. "That'll do, I guess."

Rose walked over to Peter, and placed the key into his palm. She went up onto her tip toes, and spoke softly into his ear. "Be safe, for me." She turned her head to place a soft kiss on his mouth. Pulling away, she stepped back towards the Doctor. Peter looked at her and nodded.

Jack seeing that everything was in line, said, "let's do this people."

The Doctor entered in the correct coordinates into the TARDIS and began the materialization sequence. Rose stepped up to the console and looked at the Doctor.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked, gesturing to the console. "I've assisted my Doctor several times," she added as she saw the Doctor's doubtful look.

"Press down that lever over there," he ordered, as he began to work the controls. Rose moved to do as he asked. Soon she felt the slight jar of the TARDIS landing.

"We're here," the Doctor said, a grim expression on his face.

* * *

Peter held the key that Rose handed him tightly in the palm of his fist. The feel of Rose's lips against his still lingered, and he stared blindly ahead, not really thinking about what he was about to do. His mind was still on Rose and the argument they had earlier.

He wanted to concentrate on the mission, but his mind refused to cooperate. All he could think about was whether or not Rose would leave him now that she had found the Doctor again. Sure, it wasn't the one she traveled with, but he was essentially the same person she once knew and apparently loved. How could he compete against a man like that?

He was about to exit the TARDIS when Jack pulled him aside. "Carlisle, are you with us or not?"

"I—" Peter began, not sure how to respond.

"Peter, I've always been impressed with how focused you are on the job," Jack said in a quiet voice so they wouldn't be overheard. "I don't know what's going on with you and Rose, but you need to snap out of it, or you're going to get one of us killed. You haven't lost her yet, but you will if something you do causes one of you to die."

That shook Peter to the core. It was finally starting to sink in this could be a deadly situation and some of them might not make it. And to make matters worse, he was split up from Rose, and had to rely on the Doctor to keep her safe. Pushing away from Jack, he hurried over to where Rose was standing near the Doctor.

Pulling her away from him, he took hold of her hands in his. Looking into her eyes, he said, "Rose, be careful, please. Whatever happened this morning won't matter as long as we make it through this. I—" he hesitated, not sure if it was the right time, but he had to say what was in his heart, "I love you."

Rose's eyes softened as she listened to his words and she opened her mouth to reply when they heard Jack say, "This is it, people. Time to end this rift mess." Peter and Rose looked up at Jack as he motioned Peter to join him. Peter looked back at Rose, and swiftly kissed her one last time before joining Jack. Before they all went off on their separate missions, Jack looked back at Rose and the Doctor, "see you in hell," and took off down the hall, Peter close behind.

hr

Rose watched as Peter and Jack took off running down the hall towards the upper levels of the compound. She was still reeling from Peter's confession, torn between running after him to confess her feelings and doing her duty to Torchwood. Right now, Peter was winning.

The Doctor must have guessed where her mind was going, because he placed a hand on her arm, and pulled her towards the opposite direction. "Come on, we have a commotion to create."

She nodded mutely and followed the Doctor as he took off towards the lower levels. He moved at a brisk pace, not taking any sort of precautions not to be noticed. "Shouldn't we be more careful? Van Statten will find us too easily," she said, as she looked left and right, as if waiting for the cavalry to attack.

"Wanna be noticed," the Doctor replied, not slowing his pace at all. "Want to deflect all the attention on us, not the other two."

Rose thought of the danger Peter and Jack were in, not only from being discovered by Van Statten's men, but also from the rift itself. She knew the rift was becoming unstable, and there was no guarantee that stopping the machine would reverse the effects. "How long before you think we are found?" she asked, when suddenly she heard the sound of a guns being cocked behind them.

Behind her, an obnoxious American accented voice said, "I'd imagine right now." She and the Doctor turned to see Henry Van Statten and a small army standing behind them, blocking the way back to the TARDIS. "Care to tell me what you two are doing in my facilities, along with your friends?"

Rose opened her month to offer an explanation when the Doctor said, "I'm the Doctor, and you are Henry Van Statten, I presume?"

"How did you know my name?" Van Statten demanded, looking furious. "And how did you and your little gang manage to enter my heavily guarded facility?"

"Maybe it's not so well guarded," Rose spoke up from besides the Doctor.

"Got yourself a little cat burglar assistant, do you?" replied Van Statten, eying Rose with interest.

Rose glared at the man, remembering how obnoxious he was in her other life. "Don't even think about it."

"Oh, this ones feisty," Van Statten drawled. "I like that in a woman."

"Sir, what do you want us to do about the other two intruders?" A tall red haired woman standing next to Van Statten asked.

"Send a team—"

"We know you have an alien down in your lower levels," Rose interrupted, trying to divert attention away from Peter and Jack. As Van Statten looked at her in surprise, it seemed to be working. "We know what it is."

"_Really_?" Van Statten said, looking at them in surprise. "Now that's interesting. Not only that you assume I have just one living alien, but that you claim to know what it is. I wonder how you might know that?"

"She's with me," the Doctor said, interrupting the byplay between Rose and Van Statten. "She's my companion."

"Oh, I see," Van Statten replied in a smarmy voice.

"No, you really don't," Rose ground out, feeling annoyed and fearful about what was happening with Peter and Jack.

"We tracked a distress signal from my time ship," the Doctor injected again, taking control of the conversation. "After doing some analysis, I'm fairly sure you have an extremely deadly creature on your base. If you were smart, you'd destroy it at once."

"And why is that?" Van Statten asked.

"Because you happen to have a Dalek on your premises, and if it ever gets loose, it will kill everything and everyone in its path," the Doctor replied.

"A Dalek?" the woman next to Van Statten spoke up, curious. "Dangerous? From what I've seen, that metal garbage can couldn't hurt a fly."

"You have no idea," intoned Rose, remembering just how deadly the Daleks were on her world.

"She's right, you are playing with fire here," the Doctor said, anxious now that Rose's suspicions were proven true. "That thing you have down there is dangerous, and when you factor it in when all the mucking about your doing with the Temporal Rift here in Cardiff, you have a recipe for disaster."

"How do you know about my machine?" Van Statten demanded.

"I'm a Time Lord, you idiot," the Doctor scoffed, looking at Van Statten in disgust. "I always know when someone is messing with time."

Rose looked up at him in surprise. She couldn't believe he just admitted he was an alien, let alone identified his race. _Her_ Doctor hardly ever told anyone where he came from when she travelled with him.

"Time Lord," Van Statten said with interest. Suddenly a loud alarm sounded. Van Statten turned to the woman next to him. "What the hell is that, Goddard?"

"It's the warning alarm from the rift, sir," Goddard replied. "Something gone wrong and we need to evacuate."

"Oh god, Peter," Rose gasped and turned to the Doctor, pulling on his arm. "We need to help them."

Suddenly the lights flashed and an earthquake shook the buildings foundations. The Doctor looked over at Rose in surprise, "that's not supposed to happen." She looked back at him in alarm.

"What the hell?" Van Statten exclaimed as everything around them erupted in chaos.

* * *

Peter jogged along after Jack as they made their way towards the upper levels of the compound. He looked furtively around, hoping that they could slip by unnoticed. "Jack, how are we going to get to whatever is causing the rift to act up?"

"The Doctor and Rose are going to create some kind of diversion for us," Jack replied, as he ducked into a side door. Peter followed him and found they were in a changing room. "And we're going to be able to walk in because we're going to look like we belong."

He motioned to one of the lockers, and began to search through it, grinning as he found a lab coat with Savant Research and Development on it. He quickly found another and threw it to Peter, motioning for him to put it on. "Here," Jack said, tossing him a small plastic card. Peter looked down and saw it was an ID card with his name on it.

"How'd we get this?" he asked.

"Toshiko made them up in the lab using the computer data she downloaded. They should get us past most security clearances," Jack replied, as he made his way out the door. They walked in silence until they reached a large set of double doors. "I think this is it."

Peter waited as Jack inserted his card into the card slot near the door, hoping that Toshiko had once again worked miracles. The lock clicked and Jack pushed open the doors to reveal a large, cavernous room. In the centre stood a number of computers surrounding a large archway that seemed to crackle with electricity.

"I think we've found our culprit," Jack said, looking at the machine in awe. He quickly made his way towards one of the computers. He keyed in a few commands, then opened one of the disk drives to insert a cd.

Peter looked at him and asked, "what are you doing?"

"I'm setting up a fail safe so that if things do go bad, we can get everyone out," Jack explained. "This will download commands to set off any security alarms this system may have." He continued to work at the computers, as Peter went over to the arch to examine it more closely. As he got closer, he could almost feel it pulse with activity.

"I wouldn't get too close to that if I were you," Jack said, not even looking up from the computer screen. "From what I can tell, the rift is damn unstable, and reversing the damage is not going to be easy." Peter backed away from the arch quickly.

Going over to where Jack was standing, he glanced over his shoulder. "Are you going to be able to do it?"

"I think so," Jack replied, when suddenly alarms started blaring. "Maybe I spoke too soon."

"What's going on?" Peter exclaimed as he watched the computer screen go wild.

"The rift is not responding to the commands and looks like it's about to blow. I think the only chance we have of closing it is to blow the damn thing up," Jack said grimly.

"Let's do it, then," Peter replied in a determined tone. He took one of the small charges from Jack and began the process of setting the detonation timer. He was nearly thrown off his feet when the lab was rocked by a earthquake like movement. "What the hell was that?"

"It's the rift!" Jack yelled over the blaring alarm. "It's more unstable than I thought. Have you set your charges?"

"Yeah!" Peter called back.

"Let's get out of here then!"

Peter nodded and ran behind Jack as he exited the room. They only went a short ways before the found the way blocked with fallen debris.

"Damn it!" Jack swore. He turned to Peter. "We can't get back to the TARDIS. We'll have to exit the old fashion way."

"But Rose—" Peter began, not wanting to leave her.

"She's with the Doctor and hopefully still has access to the TARDIS. From what she told me, those things are practically indestructible. Right now, she's safer than we are. We need to get out of here, or were going to be caught in something really unpleasant."

Peter stood for a moment longer, looking at the fallen debris. Jack pulled at his arm, "remember what I said about getting yourself killed?"

Peter nodded and took off with Jack in the opposite direction. They only had a few minutes before the entire building would be blown sky high.

hr

"We need to get out of here," the Doctor ordered, "or we're going to end up trapped underground as the rift closes on itself. If you know what's good for you, you'd leave immediately."

Goddard watched as Van Statten stood there and waffled over what to do. She looked at one of the guards and nodded. Two of the men grabbed Van Statten by the arms and started to forcibly remove him. "You can't do this!" he shouted.

"But I can, sir," Goddard said in a flat tone. "You gave me nearly unlimited authority in this building and complete authority in a crisis situation. And my orders are for a complete evacuation of the premises."

"But my metaltron," Van Statten whined, as he was forced towards on of the exits.

"Going down with the ship, I'm afraid," Goddard replied as she followed the guards out the door.

The Doctor turned to Rose, "We need to get back to the TARDIS."

"But Peter—"

"No time!" he said, pulling her along the corridor that lead to where the TARDIS was located.

"No, I need to make sure they're okay!" she demanded, trying to pull away from his grip.

"Damn it, Rose," the Doctor snarled. "Ever think they may already be on the TARDIS?"

Some what mollified, she allowed herself to be dragged back to the TARDIS. The Doctor quickly unlocked the door, and shoved her inside. She began to look for Peter and Jack while the Doctor went to the controls to begin dematerialization.

"Doctor, they're not here!" she yelled, running to the doors. She tried to open them, and they refused to open. "Open the god damned door! Peter's still out there!"

"Rose, there's nothing we can do for them now," the Doctor said in a sad voice. "This building was seconds from exploding. We can only hope Peter and Jack found another way out."

Rose collapsed by the doors in tears. It was happening to her again. For the second time, she may have lost the love of her life. Not knowing what else to do, she just curled into herself, praying that by some chance, Peter was still alive.


	10. Chapter 10

Peter could feel his heart pound as he and Jack tore up the stairs that led to the exit of Savant Research and Development. "About how much time do we have?" he huffed, working to pick up the pace even more.

"Less than 5 minutes," Jack responded, sounding barely out of breath. "I think we've reached ground level!"

They threw open the doors of the stairwell and ran through the lobby of the building. As they exited, Peter looked over at Jack, "you think everyone got out?"

They continued to run as they put distance between themselves and the building which was about to blow. "It's the weekend, so Savant is operating at minimal staff, thank god. And the alarm that was triggered should warned them to get the hell out."

As they turned the corner a block away from Savant, they could see a large group of personnel dressed in either lab coats or army fatigues. Jack looked over at Peter as they slowed themselves to a walk, "I'd say they all got out."

Suddenly a large boom rocked the atmosphere. Peter turned to see flames engulf what was left of Savant Research and Development. Suddenly an American sounding man pushed through the crowd towards the two of them. "My building! What the hell did you do to my building?"

Jack turned to the balding man, giving him a hard look. "Henry Van Statten, I presume?"

"Yes," Van Statten growled. "Who the hell are you and what did you do to my building?"

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack replied, distain showing for this obnoxious man. "As an agent of law enforcement for the United Kingdom, I shut down a business that was a threat to the national safety."

"You're from god-damned Torchwood, aren't you?" Van Statten snarled. "I knew you people were poking your noses into my business ages ago, trying to find out what I was up to. Finally found your way in, did you? Had to bring in your own alien to take me down?"

Peter looked sharply at Van Statten. He was talking about the Doctor. Peter looked around, trying to find any sign of a blue police box anywhere. "Where's the Doctor?" he asked, his voice betraying his anxiousness.

"How the hell should I know?" Van Statten snarled, turning to Peter. "I was dragged from my own building and was forced to watch as my billion dollar investment went up in flames, along with my greatest find in my collection. For all I know or care, he and his little blonde bimbo went up with the building. Good riddance, if you ask me."

Peter grabbed Van Statten and shook him. "You mean the Doctor and Rose didn't make it out with the rest of you?" Pushing the man away in disgust, Peter turned to Jack. "Jack, do you see Rose anywhere?"

Jack was scanning the crowd for any signs of a familiar blonde head. "No, I don't see her anywhere."

"I hope the bitch is dead along with her alien Time Lord," Van Statten sneered, glaring at both Peter and Jack. "If it wasn't for them, I'd still have my Dalek—"

"Listen you egotistical arsehole—" Jack began, but Peter just reacted. Drawing back his fist, he punched Van Statten in the face.

"Never say that again about the woman I love," he growled, as he stalked away from the snivelling Van Statten, leaving Jack to deal with aftermath. He began searching the crowd for any signs of Rose or the Doctor.

"Rose!" he screamed, trying to call for her above the roar of the crowd and sirens. He pushed his way through the mass of people. "Rose!"

What if they didn't make it out in time? Jack had said the TARDIS was practically indestructible, but what if something happened before they reached the TARDIS? What if they were caught in the explosion? Nightmarish visions of Rose dying in the inferno started to race through his mind.

"Oh god," he moaned, as he leaned against a wall in a vacant alley way. What if she was dead? The pain of losing Natalie would be nothing compared to what he would go through if he lost Rose now. He slid down the of the wall to sit with his head in his hands. Amidst all the chaos around him, Peter never heard the sound of the TARDIS materializing not 10 meters away from him.

* * *

Rose was nearly frantic to escape from the TARDIS. In all her travels with the Doctor, she never wanted to leave its doors as much as she did at that moment. The Doctor had barely finished the re-materialization sequence when she threw open the doors and rushed out onto a seemingly deserted alley way. Looking for the exit so she could begin her search, she almost missed the slumped figure sitting next to a wall with his head in his hands.

"Peter?' she called out, not sure if it was him or not.

Peter looked up at the sound of her voice. "Rose?" he asked, turning his head towards her. His eyes searched for her, and he pushed himself up as she ran to him. "Rose!"

Rose threw her arms around him, as Peter pulled her to him, capturing her mouth in a desperate kiss. His tongue thrust into her mouth as hers fought back with equal passion as they both tried to reassure themselves that they were both okay.

Peter finally broke away, leaning his forehead against hers. "I thought I had lost you," he murmured, kissing her forehead softly.

"I thought so, too," she confessed, reaching up to frame his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Peter, I didn't get the chance to say this earlier, but I love you too."

A smile broke out on Peter's face as she spoke her words of love. He leaned in to kiss her once again, this time tenderly showing her all the love he felt for her. Pulling away, he said softly, "I love you. God, how I love you."

Rose smiled as she was pulled into another embrace. She only pulled away when she heard the awkward sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. She turned to see the Doctor standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, much like he did ages ago when she first met him.

"I guess this means you wouldn't be interested in coming with me then," he said ruefully, inclining his head towards her and Peter.

Rose sensed Peter tense as he stood behind her. Reaching a hand back to grasp his, she smiled back at the Doctor and shook her head. "Sorry, I already had my fantastic adventure seeing all of time and space." She felt Peter wrap his arms around her waist and she leaned back into him. "I think it's time for me to try a different kind of adventure."

"You're sure then," the Doctor asked, a look of vague distaste at the image of domesticity she was undoubtedly presenting with Peter. "Fill your life with food, work and sleep—or you could go anywhere…with me."

"You know," Rose replied, a sense of de ja vue overcoming her. "My Doctor said the same thing to me when he asked me to travel with him." She turned to look up at Peter, smiling reassuringly. "But not even the promising of traveling though time will make me want to leave this time."

"Suit yourself," the Doctor replied, as he moved to close the TARDIS doors.

Rose turned back and saw the disappointed look in the Doctor's face. Even though he wasn't exactly like her Doctor, she could tell that he was just as lonely and desperate for companionship as hers was. "Wait!" she called out.

The Doctor turned back to look at her, a hopeful expression emerging on his face. Behind her, she felt Peter tense again, so she turned to look back at him. "Don't worry, I have an idea that will make us all happy."

Turning back to look at the Doctor, she inquired. "How would you like to have a former Time Agent from the 51st century as a travelling partner?"

* * *

Jack had just about all he could take of Henry Van Statten. After listening carry on about his company being destroyed, with no remorse what so ever over the dangerous game he was playing with a Temporal Rift, Jack was ready to take a cue from Peter and punch the guy just to shut him up. He nearly kissed Gwen as he watched her walk towards them, interrupting Van Statten's rants.

"Jack, we finally have things under control here," she said, looking at Van Statten with a raised eyebrow.

"And the rift?" he asked, hoping the total destruction of the mechanism did the job.

"Closed completely," she said, turning back to him. "All reading are normal."

"Good," Jack replied, grateful that the rift was finally under control. "Now, time to deal with Mr. Van Statten…"

He looked back at Gwen and she nodded, gesturing for Torchwood agents to take custody of Van Statten. "Make sure he's charged with everything we can make stick. I want every thing in the book thrown at him and his merry band of researchers."

"Can do," Gwen said, as the agents began to take Van Statten away.

"You can't do this!" he raged, as he struggled to escape the agents grasp. "I'm Henry Van Statten!"

"That won't mean much after Torchwood is through with you," Jack said. "You'll find that Torchwood has resources that you could only dream of. Take him out of my sight."

He watched with Gwen as Van Statten was led away. "Thank god, that bastard was starting to grate on my last nerve," Gwen stated, as she turned to him with a grin on her face.

"Have you seen Peter or Rose," Jack asked, concern for two of his best agents and close friends taking center stage now that the mess with the rift was sorted out.

"I'm not sure, but I think I saw them down a nearby alley way near a large blue box," Gwen said, looking confused as a huge grin emerged on Jack's face.

"They made it!" he yelled, pulling Gwen into a victorious huge. "Rose and the Doctor made it!"

"Doctor?" Gwen asked, confusion clear on her face as Jack pulled away. "Jack, what's going on?"

"No time," he said, already starting to walk away. "Need to find Rose and Peter." He left Gwen standing there, promising himself that he'd apologize later. In no time at all, he found Rose and Peter standing near the TARDIS, talking with the Doctor.

"There you are," he called out as he walked towards the three. "Was worried for a moment you didn't make it, Rose." He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Good to see you in one piece."

"Jack," Rose said, returning his hug enthusiastically.

Jack pulled away to look at her critically. "You all right, though?"

"Course I am," she laughed, stepping back next to Peter, who wrapped an arm around her waist. "The Doctor took good care of me."

"Glad to hear it," Jack said, eying Rose's comfortable stance with Peter. "I take it you two worked things out then."

"Yeah," she said, reaching up on tip toes to kiss Peter quickly. "You could say that."

Jack turned to the Doctor, and caught the slightly longing expression on his face as he watched Rose with Peter. "So Doctor, I assume you'll be leaving us soon?"

"Just saying my goodbyes," the Doctor replied, looking at Jack with a shrewd expression. "I hear you're good with time machines."

"Uh, yeah," Jack replied, confused by the line of questioning. "I used to be a Time Agent. Was a damned good one, until someone removed two years of my memories."

"About that," the Doctor started. "Was wondering if you'd like to come along with me and start time traveling again. Maybe try and poke around to see if we can find out about those missing years."

Jack looked at the Doctor in disbelief. This is what he had always wanted, to find out about his past and travel the stars again. But he had obligations at Torchwood. "I don't know…"

"Jack, Torchwood will be fine without you," Peter said, as if sensing Jack's hesitation. "Gwen and the rest of us have been trained well by you."

"Yeah," Rose piped up, not willing to stay quiet. "I know you want to go back to what you love, Jack. We'll be fine at Torchwood, and I know from personal experience you make a fantastic companion for the Doctor."

Jack turned to Rose. "But Rose…"

"Jack, I had my time with my Doctor, you haven't," she said, a smile on her face. "You deserve to see the universe, not be stuck here in Cardiff."

"I—" Jack said, not sure how to respond to the offer. While he enjoyed the challenge of Torchwood, he knew his first and for most love was time travel. "I accept."

The Doctor grinned, and gestured for Jack to join him on board the TARDIS. Jack turned back to Rose one last time. "Goodbye Rose," he said, tears coming to his eyes. "Thank god you came to this universe."

"This isn't goodbye, Harkness," Rose warned, pulling him into a hug. "I expect visits from you and the Doctor." She turned to look at the Doctor with a reproachful look. "Don't care how domestic it is, you've going to visit me and Peter occasionally and help us out if we need it at Torchwood. No more not visiting the Earth."

The Doctor grimaced, but nodded. Jack turned towards Peter and shook his hand. "Take care of Rose," he commanded, smiling as Peter nodded and pulled Rose back into his arms.

Jack stepped into the TARDIS. Turning back to look at Rose and Peter one last time, he said, "explain things to Gwen and the rest of the gang, will you?"

Both of them nodded, and before the Doctor could shut the door, Rose called out, "Jack! Remember what I told you about my Doctor! Don't let the same things happen to this one!"

Jack nodded as he recalled all of he and Rose's talks of what went on in the TARDIS between the three of them, remembering exactly how this version of the Doctor regenerated and Jack's doppelganger died in the other universe. "I will, Rose," he assured, smiling at them both one last time. Turning back to the Doctor, he closed the door and walked up to the TARDIS console. The Doctor looked up and grinned.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Anywhere but the twenty first century," Jack grinned in returned, as the excitement of time travel took over. He was finally going to do what he was best at: traveling all of time and space.

* * *

Rose entered her flat with Peter close behind. It felt strange to think that only several hours ago, she and Peter were sharing a relaxing bath together. Maybe if she was lucky, they could pick up where they left off.

Closing the door behind them, Peter said, "so, were all your adventures with the Doctor that death defying?"

Giving him a rueful grin, she replied, "pretty much. Not many of our adventures ended without someone's life being in danger."

"Would it be bad of me to say that I'm glad you're no longer traveling with him," Peter said, pulling Rose into his arms and kissing her lightly on the lips.

"I think you'd be okay," she replied, smiling as he descended to take possession of her lips once again. Suddenly the phone rang and she pulled away with a groan. "Keep that thought," she murmured, kissing him quickly before going over to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she said, and grimaced when she heard her mother's voice screeching in her ear.

"Mum…" she began, holding the hand set away from her ears as Jackie ranted over the phone. "Mum, I'm fine…he's gone again…no, I'm staying here in Cardiff…no, I'm not swanning off with the Doctor again…damn it, mum! I'm staying in Cardiff with Peter!"

She looked at the wide grin on Peter's face at her pronouncement. Moving behind her, he began kissing the side of her neck softly. Rose had to bite back a moan. "Mum, I got to go…Peter's here…yes….mum, get off the phone, I want to shag my boyfriend," she yelled, as Peter grinned against the side of her neck, his palms already cupping her breasts. She hung up in a huff, turning towards him. "That was bad of you."

"No it wasn't," he grinned, kissing her passionately. "Got you off the phone, didn't it?"

Rose broke away and looked at him reproachfully. "Enjoy it now, mister, but you're the one going to have to deal with Jackie Tyler tomorrow morning."

"I'm good with mothers," he grinned, starting to walk Rose towards her bedroom.

"You've never dealt with my mother," Rose warned, as she and Peter entered her bedroom. "The Doctor was even scared of her. She slapped him, you know."

"Rose," Peter said, turning her around and pushing her to sit down on the bed. "Let's not talk about the Doctor or your mother right now."

Rose looked at him and grinned. "Okay," and pulled him down with her on the bed. She laughed as he tumbled down on top of her.

"Why you…" Peter said, shaking his head as he maneuvered himself over her.

"Less talking, more shagging," Rose grinned.

Peter just laughed as he looked down at her face. "Your wish is my command" as his lips descended onto hers.

A long while later, they lay tangled up in each others arms, Rose laying with her head over Peter's heart, listen to his heart beats slowing to a more normal rhythm. Peter was threading his fingers in her hair, combing through it gently.

"Rose?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she replied, snuggling more securely into his chest.

"Where do you see our relationship going?" he inquired, nervousness apparent in his voice.

Rose propped her head up with her arm against his chest to look at him. "I hadn't thought much about it, beyond being like this with you," she said, not really wanting to admit yet that she wanted it all: marriage, house, kids…forever.

"Would you want more than just this?" he asked, giving her an intense look.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

Peter took a deep breath. "Rose, today I discovered I want much more than what we have in our relationship," he admitted. "I nearly lost you today, and it made me realize that I want it all with you."

Rose looked at him intently. "What are you saying, Peter?" she asked, hope rising in her heart.

"I want to marry you, Rose," he confessed, looking her in the eye with a sincere expression. "I want to buy a nice flat or house together, and some day soon, have a kid or two. I want forever, Rose."

Rose's grinned widely. "Are you asking what I think you're asking?"

Peter shifted her off of him, and got off the bed. Bending down on one knee, he said sincerely, "Rose Tyler, will you marry me?"

Laughing and shaking her head, she responded, "course I will. Now get back into bed!"

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled, a look of relief on his face as he crawled back under the duvet. Kissing him again, she rolled over the top of him to straddle his chest.

"You do realize I'm going to have to come up with an acceptable story to tell my mum how you proposed?" she grinned down at him, already enjoying the thought of being married to him. "Though, telling her you want to marry her daughter will go a long way to making her happy."

Peter pulled her down for another long kiss. As she pulled away, he said smugly, "As I said earlier, I'm good with mothers or soon-to-be mothers-in-law.

Rose just shook her head. While she might no longer be traveling through time and space with the Doctor any longer, she had found the happiness she had always longed for. Both of their pasts were behind them, and the future was looking bright indeed.

* * *

_18 months later_

"Peter, when did Jack say they'd be here?" Rose called out from the dining room, where she was fixing a bouquet of flowers she had just picked from the garden. She looked around the brightly lit room in the quaint cottage just outside of Cardiff, thinking back over the past year and a half.

Just as Rose expected, Jackie had been quickly mollified by the news that her oldest daughter was engaged to be married. As she and Peter neither wanted to wait to plan a huge wedding, they managed to convince Jackie that all they wanted was a small affair with only close friends and family. Nearly three months after Peter proposed, they were married in a ceremony held at Pete Tyler's estate.

Peter and Rose continued to live in Rose's flat near Torchwood, until they came across a nicely sized cottage just outside the city limits of Cardiff. While not as close the flats were, they were close enough to get to Torchwood quickly in an emergency.

Explaining Jack's disappearance had not been easy for Rose and Peter. The higher up's in Torchwood severely reprimanded them for not giving out Jack's location, and both would have been fired if not for her step father's intervention. As it was, it took many months for the two of them to be out of the line of fire at Torchwood.

Gwen was promoted to Jack's job at Torchwood. Rose suspected that Peter would have been considered over Gwen if not for his involvement in Jack's desertion. Peter claimed it didn't matter to him, that he was happy enough with the changes in his personal life, but Rose knew it bothered him a little, knowing that it could have been him in charge of Torchwood, and not Gwen.

Gwen had become as close of friend to Rose as Jack had been, frequently visiting Rose and Peter at their cottage. Rose enjoyed working for Gwen nearly as much as Jack, and considering how demanding the position was, she was secretly glad that Peter had been passed over for the job, especially now.

"He said they'd be here around one or so," Peter replied, coming up behind her and resting a hand on her softly rounded stomach. "How are you feeling today?" he asked, kissing her neck gently.

"Just fine," she said, rolling her eyes at the inquiry. Ever since she had announced her pregnancy, Peter had been like a mother hen to her, constantly clucking over every move she made. She wasn't sure, but she thought he was going to drive her mad before she gave birth in five months. "What time is it now?"

"Nearly one," he smiled, turning her around to kiss her. "Have a told you lately that I love you?"

Rose smiled back at him. "I think the last time was nearly an hour or so ago when I was icing the cake for tea this afternoon. You remember, the one you tried to stick your fingers into?"

"Couldn't help it," he sniffed, trying to look indignant and failing miserably. "Was my favorite."

"Peter, any sweets are your favorite," she snorted, laughing at him. "I'm just waiting to have my first strange food craving. I can't help wonder if you'll be disgusted by it or want to try it out yourself."

Suddenly the sounds of the TARDIS engines could be heard from the back garden. Rose looked up at Peter and smiled, "They're here!"

They walked hand in hand to greet their newly arrived guests. As they approached the TARDIS, the door opened and Jack walked out with a dark skinned female around Rose's age. From the look of things, they were engaging in a heated argument.

"I'm telling you, Martha," Jack insisted, "Rythorians are vegetarians, not meat eaters. You were perfectly safe on the planet." He looked up to see Rose and Peter walking towards them. "Rose!"

He hurried towards her and swung her up in a huge hug. "Long time, no see, Rose."

"Well, you were off gallivanting across time and space," she replied, smiling up at him as he put her down. He looked down at her front and smiled. "Got something you'd like to share with the class?"

"Peter and I are pregnant," she said, happiness radiating off her. "Baby's due in about five months."

Jack smiled at her and Peter. "Congratulations, both of you." He hugged Rose again and held out his hand to Peter

"Thanks Jack," Peter said as he took Jack's hand. "So who's this you brought with you?" he asked, nodding to Martha.

"Peter, Rose, this is Dr. Martha Jones," Jack said, gesturing to Martha. "Martha, this is Peter and Rose Carlisle."

Martha stepped forward to greet both of them. "Nice to meet you both. Jack's told me so much about you."

Rose looked around, noticing the Doctor didn't follow the two of them out of the TARDIS. "Where's the Doctor?" she asked.

From behind her, she heard a voice she never thought she's hear again. "I'm here, Rose."

She whirled to see her last Doctor standing in front of her, dressed in the same brown pin striped suit and long overcoat. "How…" she said, beginning to sway on her feet. She felt a pair of arms go around her waist, and looked up to see Peter holding her to him.

Jack spoke up to explain. "It was Satellite Five, Rose. We managed to stop the Daleks but the Doctor was fatally injured and was forced to regenerate. Surprised the hell out of me when he ended up looking just like Carlisle."

"Aye!" Peter interjected, still staring at the Doctor in amazement.

Martha spoke up at that point. "I hadn't been with the Doctor for very long. I joined Jack and the Doctor a few months prior when the hospital I worked at was transported to Mars."

"You were involved in that incident?" Peter asked, looking over at Jack. "Why didn't you contact us then?"

"We were called away to another crisis soon after," the Doctor replied, still gazing at Rose. "There was no time. Jack wanted to call, though."

Rose shook her head as she forced herself into the present. "I don't care for this no contact for ages business. I want some regular phone calls from the two of you. I know you can jiggery pokery my cell so it can receive calls from your TARDIS."

The Doctor nodded silently. Jack shifted uncomfortably, looking first at Martha then Peter. "This is a great cottage you and Rose have," he said, trying to end the uncomfortable silence that had descended.

"It is," Peter replied, turning towards Jack and Martha. "Would you like a tour?"

"Yes, please," Martha replied as Jack nodded enthusiastically.

Rose turned to Peter. "Why don't you show them around? I think the Doctor and I need to speak in private."

Peter looked over at the Doctor, then back at Rose. Nodding slowly, he leaned over to kiss her cheek. Before he pulled away, he said to her softly, "you really thought I looked like him?"

Rose grinned at his comment. "Nah," she replied, cupping his cheek for moment then pulling away. "He's much better groomed than you usually are."

"Watch it," Peter growled, then he smiled back down at Rose and winked. "I know you like me scruffy," and with that said, led Jack and Martha towards the house.

"So…" Rose began, not sure where to start.

"So…." The Doctor replied, just as uncomfortable as she was. He rocked his heals and stuck his hands in his trouser pockets. Rose had to laugh as she watched him do such a familiar thing.

"You really are exactly like my Doctor, aren't you?" she laughed, taking in this new regeneration.

"Not exactly," he replied. "I don't have you."

Rose sobered at the comment. "Doctor…" she began.

"I know, Rose," he said with a sigh. "Just…just tell me you're happy."

Rose gave him a large smile. He may not be the man she once loved, but she still cared for him. She wanted him to be happy, and secretly she hoped he'd find someone who could be a companion like she was for her Doctor. "I am very happy."

"Then that's all I could want," he said with a small smile. Offering his arm to hers, he tilted his head towards her home. "So, is the offer of a tour still standing?"

Rose smiled back up at him, reminded of old times with her Doctor. "Don't know. Will it be too domestic for you?" she teased.

"I think I can handle a little domesticity," he replied, as she took his arm and led him to her home. Looking ahead, she could see her husband through the windows of the cottage, showing Jack and Martha around. Smiling to herself, she thought of her life now with her husband and soon to be child. Rose Marion Tyler Carlisle had finally discovered the person she was meant to be.


End file.
